The Warmth of Winter
by RareNyte
Summary: Following a fateful encounter with a certain Ice Queen that left him with the unique ability to manipulate snow and ice to his will, Jaune begins his journey at Beacon, not knowing that the heiress herself had also decided to attend. Thus begins their adventure of hardship, horrible ice puns and maybe even a chance of romance.
1. Ice Breaker

The girl focused on her breathing as she tried to recall what information she currently possessed.

1- She was alive

2- She was alone

3- She... was scared

Weiss shook her head as she tried to rid herself of her fear, there was no sense in dilly dallying, she had to do something, though that was easier said than done in her situation.

She looked around the cracks in the downed airship and could see that she had crash landed in the middle of a snowstorm, it had fallen into a clearing surrounded by thick woods on every side.

_Just perfect... _she told herself as along with the deathtrap surrounding her, the severe cold and creatures of Grimm were now added to the list of possible causes of imminent death.

First things first, she had to get herself out of the wreckage, she attempted to pick herself up but was stopped in her tracks, causing her to and wince in pain.

She looked down at her waist to realize the was trapped by her seats armrests that had become mangled during the crash. She thanked her stars for her aura, after all, in situations such as this you had to count your blessings.

She struggled simultaneously to retain her consciousness and wrench herself free, but after numerous attempts, she conceded that the the metal bars were not going to budge any time soon, leaving only one thing to do.

She looked around the compartment, searching for her trusty weapon in order to slice her way out.  
She managed to just about make out the silver hilt buried beneath scraps of metal and reached out to retrieve it.

The heiress stretched with all her might, trying and failing to ignore the growing pain in her abdomen as she reached for possibly her only survival option.

It was no use, it was just too far! With a grunt she relented and tried to think about her next move.  
In all honesty, it seemed like a no win situation, she knew she shouldn't just give up... but what left was there to do?

A sudden call from her father telling her to come back from her training prematurely was what got her into the unmanned airship. Pre-programmed with a flight path, one that had obviously been intercepted.

She had heard large explosions battering the outside of the metal craft, then she heard the rapid beeping and sirens before the ship began to spiral into a free-fall.

Now she was stuck, with seemingly no way out, closing her eyes shut, she allowed herself to do something she hadn't for a very long time. Several tears started cascading down her pale cheeks before she started quietly sobbing to herself.

This was it, this was the end for her, she knew it. She clasped her head in her hands as she thought about her life.

There was so much she hadn't done! She had spent her entire life up until now, at the age of 15, cooped up in her home, never allowed to go out on her own accord, only being able to leave for school purposes.

Thus, she was never able to make any kind of relationship with anyone her age, why couldn't she have made at least one friend? At least one! One would be fine, one that she could laugh with in the good times and rely on in the bad, didn't she deserve the same as any other girl her age?

She let out a yelp as a fire suddenly erupted from the remains of the cockpit, slowly starting to spread to the other parts of the craft.

She shut her eyes tight, she would never be able to make a friend, she would never be a huntress, she would never find anyone to confide in, to trust, to _love._

Weiss was temporarily surprised by her own thoughts, since when was she interested in that kind of thing? She decided that since it was likely her last moments she probably wasn't thinking straight.

Although... maybe... it would have been nice, at least once... to have someone like that... but it was pointless now.  
She sighed once more before leaning back and accepting the inevitable.

"Uh.. miss?"  
"Quiet! Can't you see I'm trying to find peace?" She scolded reflexively before the gears in her head began to turn as she sat up immediately to see the origin on the voice.

There, looking at her with a nervous grin, was a boy around her age, he was skinny teen with an odd shade of yellow colored hair, clad in a black and orange hoodie, though the feature she focused on most were his eyes... they were blue like hers except they were a deep blue, full of warmth and innocence. For some reason, she couldn't help but let her eyes linger on them.

"Uh, miss?" he repeated, startling the heiress that didn't realize that she was being drawn in.  
"I was wandering outside my village when I saw the crash, are you okay?"

As she focused on the rest of the boy, she realized that there on his hip was a white and golden sheathe. A spark of hope kicked her sensible mind into gear as possible solutions to escaping this death trap began to flood her mind.

"That! Is that a sword?" She asked pointing at it as the boy nodded before pulling it out.  
"Quick, cut me out of here!" She ordered, becoming increasingly aware of the fires spreading towards her.  
The boy watched her as she showed him the metal bars that kept her fixed in place.

He raised his sword to strike before stopping and looking unsure. Weiss was getting impatient.  
"What are you waiting for?" The boy lowered his sword, looking ashamed.  
"I'm not sure I can do it without cutting you." He admitted hesitantly.  
"What?! You know how to use that thing don't you?" she pointed at the sword.

He shook his head "A little, but if I mess up..." Weiss looked at him in annoyance.

"With that attitude, you'll never get anything right! Don't run away just because it scares you! You have to overcome this, you can do it, I know it, you just have to believe in yourself a little!" she didn't really know what she was saying or if she meant it, but it seemed to have the desired effect as something seemed to spark inside of him as he raised his sword yet again with a look of bravery in his eyes.

He aimed carefully as Weiss leaned back as far as she could just in case. He took a breath before swing the sword down to meet the bars.

_'_**_ca-dunk'_**

Weiss opened her eyes as the bars that confined her now lay broken at her feet, she was free!

"Not bad" she commented passively, hiding her glee.

The boy smiled proudly before holding out a hand. "Hey, I'm Jaune"  
The heiress cleared her throat, remembering her position and politely took his hand before standing and brushing herself off.

"Weiss Schnee, pleasure" She spoke elegantly as she stepped outside of the wreckage and breathed in the cold air, it felt so refreshing!

"So, why were you in there in the first place?" The boy asked curiously, Weiss's eyes widened as she had forgotten that crucial detail.

_"IT LANDED IN THE CLEARING! HURRY" _the yell came from the thick woods, it was close. She quickly turned to the blond

"Quick, we have to get out of here!" She yelled in panic as he nodded, sheathing his sword and coming towards her.  
It was then that she noticed a small metal briefcase laying just outside the craft, undamaged.

"Wait, grab that first!" He turned towards it and attempted to lift it, managing to get it a few feet off the ground before his untrained muscles failed him as he was forced to drop it. Just what the hell was in it?

Jaune rubbed his now aching arms and looked back in desperation.

"Is it really that important?" he seemed eager to get out of there, but Weiss knew she couldn't leave without it, the products inside were entrusted to her by her father before she left for training.

Weiss knew, plane crash or not, without that briefcase, her father would be fuming, and that never lead to anything good.  
"It's.. important to me" Jaune didn't seem satisfied with the vague answer but had no time to respond.

The sudden sound of footsteps spurred the boy into action as he held his breath before begrudgingly picked up the heavy case, pulling the handle up to his shoulders before joining the heiress as they ran into the dark woods.

* * *

They ran through the thick snow, neither knowing how long for, with the snow hindering their vision, they stumbled and staggered through the endless forest, having to constantly call out to each other, neither being able to see the other.

"Ah!" Weiss exclaimed as she was tripped and fell to the snow covered ground, she was struggling to pick herself up again. Like it or not, she had to swallow her pride once more and rely on others.

"Jaune!" She called, her only response being the whistling of the freezing winds as the blond was nowhere to be seen.  
"Jaune!" She repeated, no response.

She gasped as she came to the obvious conclusion, he had left her.

She should have known, no one would willingly help her for no reason, he had probably just seen her and thought about the possible reward money for finding her.  
It was fine, she didn't need him anyway, at least that's what she told herself. Ignoring the cold tears that began to reappear as she whimpered in distress.

_"Jau-"_

"WEISS!" Her eyes shot open as she heard the familiar voice, she initially dismissed it as a figment of her imagination to taunt her in her last moments.  
It was only when she felt herself being picked up bridal style and once again rushing through the dark, snowy woods that she began to consider the possibility.

He had come back for her...

* * *

After minutes of panting, shambling through the blackness, a light appeared in front of them. It looked like the entrance to another clearing, Jaune quickly rushed towards it, anything would be preferable to spending another minute in the darkness of the forest.

As he entered the clearing, he covered his eyes as they adjusted to the light before re opening them and dropping his jaw in awe at the sight.

The girl in his arms groggily flickered her eyes opened as she too took in the beauty before them.

They had come across a small cliff edge that allowed you to see over the entire forest and the icy glaciers beyond. And just below the cliff side was a beautiful frozen lake that seemed to sparkle as the snow fell upon it.

The pair temporarily allowed themselves to take it in as Jaune set the heiress down, making sure she could stand before letting her go.

With a groan he set down the heavy briefcase the metal briefcase he was forced to carry over his shoulder, not that he would risk complaining to Weiss, who for the first time since they met, was smiling, obviously taken in by the view. It was a much better look for her.

"It's beautiful, don't you think?" she felt a soothing sense of calmness as she addressed the boy behind her.  
"Yeah, it really is" he replied, focusing on something entirely different.

"Is that your village?" Weiss asked, spotting a collection of buildings and houses to the west of the forest.  
Jaune smiled at that "Yup, home sweet home, I live there with my parents and sisters"

"It looks... welcoming" She couldn't think of much else to say, the village looked rustic, yet charmingly so, but she was used to bigger cities.

"I'll show you around, then, I know the _best _comic book stand!" She rolled her eyes at the blond's attempt to impress her before turning away.

Weiss looked thoughtful before speaking once more without turning back towards the boy.

"Listen, if you weren't there today... I don't think I would have made it out of there in time, you saved my life." she chuckled fondly, a first for her. Firsts becoming rather common in these past few hours.  
"More than once actually... I suppose what I'm really trying to say is... thank you" she whispered the last part.

She got no reply, she thought it was uncommon for anyone to be speechless at such a simple thank you, then she heard the thud as his body hit the floor.

She turned around instantly and looked on in horror as the blond's body collapsed against the snow as a man in a white and black uniform stepped over him, grabbing the briefcase and turning towards the heiress, the uniform had a red wolf with three claw marks against it.

_'The White Fang!" _she thought with anger as he took another step towards her.

"Did you really think we couldn't follow your tracks? Ever heard of snowprints, princess?" Weiss cursed beneath her breath as he moved to close their distance.

She reached to her side only to realize she had forgotten Myrtenaster back at the crash site.

"You should have just died in the crash, now we get to take you alive" he smirked, grabbing the heiress by the throat and lifting her off the ground.  
Weiss couldn't fight back, the crash and the forest run had left her exhausted, unable to even activate her semblance.  
The man's smile grew rider as he began to laugh as Weiss started to lose consciousness.

"Put... her...down" Weiss turned to her side in surprise as she saw the blond attempted to pick himself up, only managing to get onto one knee.  
"Oh yeah? And why should I do-"

"And the case." Jaune spat, the man grumbled, annoyed at the interruption.

Jaune lifted himself slightly into a position that seemed to resemble... no, he couldn't be thinking, Weiss looked on in concern.

"That case..." He lifted his finger to point at it, then to Weiss.

"...is important to her..." The man attempted to retort but was silenced as the boy looked up with piercing eyes, the eyes Weiss had been drawn in by before, this time filled with valor and passion, they really were his best features.

"And that girl..." He slowly turned his finger towards himself. He didn't know where these words were coming from, he was barely thinking. All he could register was the scared look upon the pretty girl in white before him and the sudden rage building within him.

"Is important... to ME!" with that he rushed forward to charge the man as he dropped the girl in order to defend himself.

But Jaune didn't stop.

Without any hesitation, he charged into the man, sending them both flying off the cliff edge as Weiss looked on in shock.

One second they were there, the next they vanished from view.

There was a resounding crack then a splash as Weiss looked over the cliff to see the water ripple as two shapes fell below the surface, into the murky waters.

_"JAUNE!"_

* * *

Jaune took a moment to consider his actions over the last 5 seconds, he tackled an assassin... off a cliff... into a frozen lake..., not his brightest idea.

His thoughts were interrupted as they plunged into the black abyss of freezing water that instantly set his brain into overdrive as he realized the danger he was in, he looked around him and barely managed to make out the silver shining briefcase, then to his left he saw a dark object approaching him rapidly.

It took him a second to dodge the fist as he saw the body it connected to, the assassin wasn't finished quite yet. Jaune attempted to go for his sword but couldn't get it out fast enough before receiving a blow to the stomach, forcing all the air out of his lungs.

He let out a drowned yell as the assassin smirked as he revealed his shark like teeth, being a faunus really came with its perks.

Jaune felt his consciousness slipping as the cold prevented him from moving any more as he closed his eyes in defeat.

At least he had died saving someone else, right? That's probably a good way to go.. well it's the best he would get.

That's when he heard it, a voice, calling out his name, he squinted his eyes and looked through the assassin shaped break in the ice as he saw a person calling down for him, it was a beautiful girl, with white hair styled into an immaculate ponytail with pearly white skin and icy blue eyes that he found so alluring.

'_Weiss...' _he thought, suddenly regaining his senses as he saw now a reason to stay, he had someone he wanted to stand beside, someone he wanted to protect.

With a new sense of determination, he re-checked his options. Weapons are useless, he had no hand to hand skills and he hadn't even unlocked his aura yet.

Realizing his job wasn't done yet, the assassin swam back to the drowning blond.

With little else he could do, he held up his arms to block the oncoming punch that propelled him backwards through the water.

_"_**_Thud_**_" _he winced as he had hit his head on something hard, turning around, he saw that it was the silver briefcase, he prayed it contained something useful.

He attempted to force it open, to no avail, he turned it over and looked closer, it needed a combination!

Sensing something coming towards him, Jaune did the first thing that came to mind and blocked the blow with the case.

The assassin let out a silent shout as he clutched his hand. The blond was distracted by something shiny that floated in front of him, it was the case combination lock. Then that would mean...

He took another look at the case and sure enough, he was able to open it.

He was temporarily stunned as a radiant powder blue light shone from the case, illuminating the dark surrounding the two.

Something about the glowing light captivate him, it gave him a sense of wonder he had never felt before.

He was broken from his stupor as he saw the assassin preparing for another strike.

Dust, what could Jaune do with Dust? He had no weapons, he had no way to ignite it, he didn't have any spare cloth to make a cape, though that wouldn't really help in the situation at hand.

Then, it became clear to him, he remembered the other way to use Dust, it came with heavy risks and was considered crazy but he was out of options, he had to do something!

With one glance upwards towards the heiress above the surface. He narrowed his eyes with determination.

There was no turning back after this...

_'Here goes nothing...'_

* * *

"Jaune! Jaune can you hear me?!" she yelled down the crack in the ice, having lost sight of her savior, he probably wouldn't be able to hear her anyway.  
She couldn't sit still, constantly pacing, thinking about what she could do.

Getting Myternaster was out of the question, navigating those woods was near impossible, she couldn't call for help, no reception.

The heiress took a glance town into the freezing waters.

Could she jump in after him? A part of her told her it was ridiculous, that she would only be getting herself killed by doing so, but what else was there?! She had to help him, after all the times he saved her, she couldn't let him die for her too!

He was her first... friend. It felt odd for her to use that word but she was sure that's what he was, they had met just hours before and yet there was no doubt in her mind.

With that new-found revelation, she removed her light blue jacket, ignoring the cold as she removed her shoes and took he position over the crack.  
Steeling her resolve, she prepared herself to dive and started counting.

_3..._

_He better not have drowned already..._

_2.._

_He is SO going to pay for a new dress when this is over..._

_1.._

_**"CRACK"**_

Weiss' counting was interrupted as she saw the crack slowly beginning to expand, causing the rest of the frozen lake to break, including where she was standing. However she was distracted by something else entirely.

Two shadowy shapes were making their way towards the surface, and they were coming _very _quickly.

Before she could get off of the frozen lake, there was a rumbling as the shape came closer to the surface. The heiress took a knee as the tremors increased.

Then without warning, the ice in front of her suddenly shattered as a colossal pillar of snow and ice shot out from the water, bringing along with it the White Fang Assassin and a boy in a black hoodie before it stopped growing 20 ft above her, she could just make out the conversation between the two.

"Your friends, get them and get out of here, and know that if you ever go after _my_ friends again, I will _not_ be so forgiving, got it?" The assassin nodded in fright of the teen in front of him.

Weiss recognized the voice, but it sounded... colder than before, there was a certain icy tone to his voice when he was threatening the White Fang member.

The assassin jumped down from the icy structure and as soon as he was out of sight, the ice pillar began to shrink in size until it was low enough so that Weiss could see the teen on top.

It was a boy around her age, he was a skinny teen with snow white skin and similarly colored hair that was styled like Jaune's but with rougher edges and spikes in several places, clad in a black hoodie, just like his.

"Who are you and where is Jaune?" Weiss stared the newcomer down, she had noticed that the boy looked remarkably like him, but it couldn't be. Her eyes weren't deceiving her, the boy in front of her barely matched Jaune's description.  
"Weiss..." he faced her and smiled, opening his eyes to reveal deep blue eyes, full of warmth and innocence.

It was him, his other features may have changed slightly but his eyes remained the same. She would remember those eyes anywhere now.

She didn't notice tears starting to well up before she ran to him and embraced the teen, relieved that he was safe.

"Jaune..." she whispered, something stirring within her. Acting before thinking, purely upon the sudden desire to run to the boy, even if just to make sure he was really there with her.

"Let's get out of here, Snow Angel."


	2. Snowed In

**Hi, RareNyte here, I just want to thank you for the amount of feedback I received from the first chapter, apparently you guys want more of this and I am happy to supply!**

**We aren't to Beacon quite yet because I felt I wanted to lay the foundations for a bit before that, but it will come.**

**For now, please enjoy this chapter and leave a review if you'd like!**

* * *

The girl waited patiently at the door, listening for signs to tell if the boy resting inside was asleep, not wanting to disturb him otherwise.

After a few seconds, she heard blankets being removed then a long yawn like a child after a nap, causing Weiss to chuckle quietly before reaching up to the door.

**_'Knock Knock'_**

"Jaune? May I come in?" she called from behind the door. It was silent for a few seconds and Weiss began to wonder if he had heard her and reached to knock again when the door swung open, revealing the boy with a sleepy smile.

"Morning, Weiss" he greeted cheerfully before opening the door all the way and allowing her in.  
"I brought you some cocoa from downstairs" She carefully placed the tray on his bedside table before inspecting the room.

He had kept it surprisingly clean, though she supposed that was natural since he wasn't up and about often.  
Satisfied, she turned to the boy himself, he was sitting on the bed happily sipping his cocoa.

He was dressed in the same jeans he had worn on the day but had hung up his hoodie, sleeping in a plain white undershirt.

She took a step closer toward him before leaning toward him, her eyes giving him a thorough check up.  
It was hard to say if his color was healthy, seeing as it had been completely bleached white.

"Lift up your shirt" she ordered, Jaune looked up to protest but saw the serious expression on Weiss's face and gulped before pulling the fabric up and allowing her to look.

He still had bruises from the fight with the assassin, but they were already fading. Apart from the fatigue, he didn't seem to have anything else wrong with him. Happy with her findings, Weiss stepped back and her scrutinizing stare was replaced with a satisfied smile, much to Jaune's relief.

"Good. You're getting better" Jaune cracked a wide grin at that.

"Finally, we can leave now right?" before she could even reply, Jaune was up, grabbing his things from around the room and began to shove them into his rucksack.

"Woah, woah, woah, wait a minute" Weiss took hold of his arm, "We are only leaving here when you are physically fit and able" she insisted.

"Hey, I'm fine see? Trust me" Jaune held out his arms, presenting himself with a cheesy grin. Weiss had to admit, the boy was by all appearances just fine.

With a sigh, she conceded defeat "Fine, we'll leave today, get your stuff ready". The pale boy thanked her enthusiastically before continuing to gather his belongings.

"You've been holed up in here for a few days now, we should probably let some air in" she went to open the window, not noticing the sudden look on horror that appeared on Jaune's face.

"W-wait!" With a whistle, a cold wind entered the room, Weiss breathed it in, quite enjoying the air of the village, not that she would admit it, she had no intention of becoming a country bumpkin.

"That's better, now Jaune... Jaune?" she turned only to find that the boy was no longer scattering around the room.

In fact, the only audible sound was the quiet sharp breaths of a shape buried beneath the blankets on the bed.

"...It's still happening isn't it?" the rapid chattering of his teeth were answer enough, she sighed, annoyed at the teen's secrecy. "Don't put on a tough guy act, I know you're freezing" she sat on the bed and began to stroke some of his uncovered snow white hair.

She held a lock of it between her fingers and looked closely, it clearly wasn't dyed, there were no signs of any blonde roots, it was as if his genes were altered entirely.

These were the after effects of the Dust fusion that took place in the depths of that frozen lake.  
He only started showing signs of it after they had successfully navigated through the forest, either that or he just couldn't keep up the facade any longer.

He was constantly cold, she would have expected no less from a fusion with that kind of Dust, the snowy climate of the area wasn't exactly helping either...

They had to find someplace warm but he had insisted they rent a room at a small bed and breakfast rather than his home, probably not wanting them to see the alterations to his appearance.

A violent shudder from the boy sent a pang of guilt to the heiress' heart, she knew that it was because of her that he was like that, well her and the boy's frankly reckless behavior.

She rubbed his shoulders though the blanket, trying to comfort him.  
Weiss couldn't believe that he had attempted to leave that morning, she tried not to imagine what would have happened when he made it out into the streets.

It was obvious that Jaune wanted to get out of there, it was obvious he didn't like playing patient and probably thought he was a burden to her. Weiss would not be having any of that nonsense! Dim as he may be, he was her first friend and she would not give up on him so easily.

"Jaune, you need to rest" she whispered matter-of-factly and shushed a murmur of protest from the shaking lump beneath the blanket.

"You are chilled to the bone you dunce! Acting like you're fine when you're not isn't impressive, you know, it's simply juvenile" she stated, not earning a response from the bedridden boy but she knew he was listening.

Giving his hair one last tousle, she lifted herself off the bed and decided to give him some time to himself.  
She gave him one last look of concern as she stood in the doorway,  
silently regretting ordering him to bring the briefcase from the plane crash on that fateful day.

"Drink your cocoa, I'll be back"

* * *

Setting down the cup on the table, Jaune made a mental note to thank Weiss later for the hot beverage, his hands had stopped shaking and his breathing had returned to normal, he still wasn't warm by any definition but now it was at least bearable.

He hoped the effects wouldn't last too long, Weiss had a life to go back to and he didn't want to force her into playing doctor day after day.

It wasn't like he didn't enjoy her company, not by a long shot, but he didn't want to be a hindrance to her.

Jaune sighed as he stared up at the ceiling, thinking over the events of the last few days, he brightened up slightly when he remembered the conversation about his change.

* * *

_Weiss and the blond- **ex **blond both smiled as their eyes adjusted to the sight, relieved that they managed found themselves in the same clearing they had met, their footprints had a silver lining apparently as they managed to easily follow it back the way they came._

_Hopefully, the girl's rapier hadn't been damaged in the wreckage._  
_Fearing the worst, they approached the downed aircraft and peered inside_

_Luckily for the pair, the fires inside had been extinguished by the White Fang group that had searched it for their target._

_They had also seemingly been too occupied with their pursuit to notice the end of the silver rapier sticking out from a small pile of metal scraps._

_Weiss let out a sigh of relief, while the briefcase was lost, at least she still had Myternaster._  
_Speaking of the briefcase... she reattached her rapier to her hip before turning towards her friend. Finally wishing to question just what happened beneath the frozen lake._

_"So... what happened to you? I mean, your hair and skin... and that ice pillar"_

_He scratched his head, wondering the same "I'm not too sure myself, I wasn't really thinking straight at the time, but it probably has something with that briefcase of Dust I ate. Sorry about that by the way, I know you said it was important to you..."_

_Her expression turned to one of extreme shock as she processed what he had just said  
"You did WHAT?!" she exclaimed in horror_  
_"Sorry! I was kinda out of options, you know, drowning and all. There was a guy with shark teeth after me, what's a guy to do?"_

_She shook her head vigorously "Not that, you ATE the Dust?!" prompting a timid nod from the teen._  
_"What could POSSIBLY spur you to do something like that?"_

_"Well, it was the only thing I could think of at the time, I remembered some TV show about the uses of Dust and how you could gain power by fusing them with your body" he tried to explain, but even to him, it sounded like a crazy move._

_"That was dangerous, that Dust could have just as easily been toxic! You could have died" Weiss berated him, waving her finger at him much like a mother would._  
_The boy looked down at his feet bashfully "sorry..." he spoke softly._

_Weiss sighed before raising her arm to lift his chin up to look her in the eyes._

_"Just make sure that next time, you find out what it is before you stuff your face with it?"_  
_A small smile appeared on Jaune's face as he gazed back into her icy blue irises._  
_"I promise"  
_

* * *

Jaune smiled fondly at the memories, he wanted to spend some more time with Weiss before her inevitable departure but he couldn't do anything in his current state.

He looked over at the closed window with a thoughtful expression before something occurred to mind.

Well, if Weiss wouldn't let him go out until he was better, than he'd just have to accelerate the process himself!  
With a fresh sense of determination, Jaune forced himself out from under the covers and started walking over to the door, grabbing his newly dyed hoodie on the way.

Having pulled it over him, he took a moment to prepare himself before heading downstairs and opening the front door to the B &amp; B, facing the cold air once more.

* * *

"Enjoy your purchases!" Weiss gave a polite nod to the vendor before picking up her bags and exiting the shop into the street. Looking around, she noticed that this part of the village was fairly deserted, the only place people seemed to congregate being the town square.

It was not a bustling place like Vale and there were not many other customers walking around, though it came as a breath of fresh air to the heiress, happy not to be caught up in the crowds.

She looked own into her bag to make sure she had everything she wanted, inside were two fresh sets of clothes, toiletries, a portable heater and some nightwear.

Since it was likely Jaune would take a bit more time to recover, she decided to buy him something other than his raggedy trousers and shirt to wear.

Just as she was about to head back to the bed and breakfast, she caught sight of a more regal looking outlet identified by a white and silver sign reading 'Garnets and Garments', she remembered hearing that name.

It sold clothing infused with dust for several different purposes, it was apparently a very expensive shop, leaving Weiss confused as to why one was located here.

On her approach, she was immediately drawn to a certain item in the window, it was a set of two purple finger-less gloves, matching the color of Jaune's hoodie sleeves. Next to the pair was a small sign  
_  
'Practical Gloves fit for a hunter, infused with rare dust crystals, keeping you insulated even in the coldest of weather!'_

Without a second thought, Weiss entered the outlet and walked right up to the front desk.  
"Hello, what can I do for you?" the vendor asked with a business like smile, Weiss lifted her arm, pointing to the items in the window.

"A set of those gloves, please" the vendor nodded before reaching down under the desk and bringing out another pair, gently placing them on the counter.

"A very good choice, young lady. Though it's quite pricey, are you sure you have enough?" Weiss smirked before pulling out her Schnee Dust Company credit card.  
"I'm fairly confident"

Satisfied, the vendor swiped her card and handed the heiress an expensive looking bag with a smile  
"Thank you, hope you come-" the vendor was abruptly cut off as two men in suits opened the shop door, entering without a word. One standing tall and slim, the other slumped over and stocky.

_"Not these two again" _the vendor muttered beneath his breath his official smile replaced by a scowl. Weiss looked at the two men in confusion, their outfits seemed... familiar. They seemed to give off a predatory aura as they approached the man behind the counter, Weiss instinctively took a few steps back

"Look I already told you, I haven't seen anyone like that-" he began before being roughly interrupted as the first man grabbed him by the collar, not breaking eye contact.

"We know she's in the village, and that she wouldn't ever buy from the commoners, this is the only place she'd be!" Weiss's eyes widened, they couldn't possibly be talking about...

Her fears increased as the second man turned in her direction, eyeing her up and down with suspicion.  
"Hey, what was her description again?" The man addressed his partner, who looked over his shoulder in annoyance.  
"I told you already, white hair, blue eyes, remember?"

"...Possibly wearing a light blue dress?"  
"What are you- oh... hello there" the first man greeted, dropping the shopkeeper and putting on an innocent grin.  
"Miss Schnee, I presume?" She remained silent for a few seconds, looking quickly between the two men before clearing her throat to respond.

"Yes, did Father send you?" Weiss asked innocently, already knowing the answer  
"Yes, he has been very worried about you and we were asked to find and escort you back home safely" he finished with the smile that still hadn't become any more convincing.

"Looks like he was worried for nothing, already back to shopping, I see?" the second man stated, pointing at the bags in the heiress' hands.  
"Ah yes!" She lied with an embarrassed expression, there was no way she could tell them about the sickly ice caster in her care.  
"It comforts me, I suppose!"

The men looked skeptical before shrugging it off, girls would be girls, they supposed.  
"Now, if you'll excuse me" Weiss gave a respectful nod before attempting to leave the outlet as quickly as possible.  
"Hey, little lady" the first man lent against the door, blocking her exit path. "Didn't you hear me? I said we were ordered to get you home"

Weiss cursed inwardly, this wasn't going to be easy. Not inclined to abandon her first friend in his time of need.  
"Does it have to be right now?" she asked hopefully, the guard chuckled, still keeping up the friendly routine as if she hadn't just witnessed him shaking down an innocent vendor.  
"Afraid so, daddy wants you back as soon as possible, okay?"

Weiss kept smiling as she tried to edge past the looming figure  
"Well, if you give me just a few hours, I assure you I'll be-" she was jerked back as the man forcefully took hold of her wrist.

"Now would be preferable, Miss Schnee" he spoke coldly, his smile faltering as he tightened his grip on her wrist.  
"Let go of me! I have do something first!" she squirmed, only serving to anger the man as he took hold of her other wrist, pinning her against the door frame.

"Listen, little girl, you are going to be obedient for daddy, aren't you? Now shut up and come with-"  
Any words he had planned to say were lost as Weiss' knee found itself firmly planted into his crotch as he let out a high pitch squeal before collapsing to he ground.

Seeing her chance, the heiress sped out of the outlet, desperate to escape the pair and return to Jaune.

"Hey man, you okay?!" the second man cringed at his partner reeling in pain on the floor.  
"Don't just stand there, GET HER!" he barked as the second man nodded before heading out after the heiress.

"Freaking brat..." the first man cursed, caressing his damaged goods with tears brimming in his eyes.

* * *

Bad idea, it was definitely a bad idea, they didn't seem to uncommon for the boy lately as Jaune shivered once more, attempting to bear the icy temperature of the outside.

As passionate as he was before, it was for naught against the blistering cold that now felt like it was slowly freezing him to death where he stood.

He had his hood pulled over his head, hiding his hair and eyes from view as he stumbled through the marketplace, earning more than a few odd looks from other customers.

He paid them no mind as his mind was focused on pressing on through the streets, trying to fight off the sudden drowsiness that came upon him.

As much as he would have liked to turn back, he couldn't just give up now he'd gotten this far, it was all or nothing.  
Though as he started to forget where he was walking despite having grown up there, he felt fate was leaning towards the latter.

A sudden commotion alerted him as he squinted ahead, managing to make out a light blue blur running through a nearby street as a larger black one followed in pursuit.

For some reason, the boy felt compelled to check it out as he slowly but surely made his way over to the scene.  
He didn't noticed the other man running in the same direction before he was roughly shoved out of the way by a man in a black suit that ran in the same direction, although the way he ran was a bit off, keeping his legs separated and swearing beneath his breath.

"Rotten bastards..." the boy turned to see a very angry looking vendor standing in the doorway scowling after the black blur.

"Ex-excuse me" Jaune stuttered, his speech impeded by the severe chill he was feeling.  
"Did you see what happened here?"  
"Those black tied bastards came back again looking for the same girl, didn't look too friendly, the girl managed to run off after hitting one of em where it hurts most. Hmph, serves him right" he responded gruffly.

Fearing the worst, Jaune spoke up "...w-what did the men want?"  
the vendor shrugged casually "Sounded like they were just taking the girl home, but they seemed pretty shady to me"  
Jaune's eyes widened, temporarily forgetting the cold as he looked the vendor straight in the eyes.

"Did they happen to run in that direction?" He pointed to where he had seen the rushing blurs as the vendor nodded.  
"Yeah, the bumbling idiot first then the other after he got up from bawling like a baby, you shoulda seen him, he was-" he turned to see that the space the boy had occupied was now empty.

* * *

Weiss panted as she hurtled down another alleyway, trying desperately to escape the thunderous footsteps that followed her relentlessly. She knew she couldn't engage them in combat, they were hired by her own father, after all.  
That didn't mean she couldn't run away though, she could always just say she was startled and thought they were trying to abduct her, which was partly true.

Taking a right down a narrow passage, she ended up navigating her way to the the town square which was considerably more populated than the other areas.

Slowing to a quick walk, she integrated into one of the small crowds and attempted to blend in, which was considerably difficult for a girl wearing a a combat skirt and a silver tiara in her hair.

She stole a glance behind her as she witnessed the two men in black standing upon a small podium, searching through the small crowds. Weiss quickly turned away and picked up the pace, heading in the direction of the Bed and Breakfast.

She had almost made her way out of the square when she heard a small girl gasp as the heiress walked by.  
"Mommy! It's a princess!" She exclaimed excitedly as most of the eyes in the square turned to the uncommon sight,  
including those belonging to the two men in suits.

In a panic, she activated her semblance, propelling her in the direction of the inn, ignoring the voices of her pursuers, yelling at her to stop.

After a short while when she was confident she had put enough distance between the,, Weiss came to a halt as she had run out of stamina, not used to activating her semblance for extended periods of time.

Not wanting to be caught out again, she took a small detour she had discovered that led to her and Jaune's temporary abode.

Suddenly remembering something, she looked down at the bags she had forgotten she was carrying and was surprised to see they seemed to still be in perfect condition.

That was until she looked at the underside of her 'Garnets and Garments' bag to reveal the sizable rip that must have torn whilst she was running.

She opened the bag from the top and gasped when occupying it was a solitary glove, missing it's partner.  
It would take days to search the town for it and with those men lurking around, it would be near impossible!

While the heiress was pacing up and down, distraught that Jaune would remain shivering underneath a blanket for days to come, she failed to hear the footsteps from the opposite end of the alley, or the ones sneaking up from behind.

"Drop something?" Weiss froze as she heard the sly voice of the tall man in the suit.  
She turned her head slowly to see him approaching with a familiar lavender covered glove in hand.

"That's not yours!" the heiress hissed, earning a smirk from the man edging closer to her by the second.  
"Oh yeah, then whose is it, then? They are men's gloves, you find yourself a lover-boy from the countryside?" he jeered, earning a fierce glare from the girl.

"Well, you can explain it all to daddy just as soon as we get home, grab her Mitch!"  
Weiss barely had enough time to react as two beefy arms emerged from behind her, the heiress managed to throw herself away, landing harshly on the stone but escaping his grasp.

Taking her chance, Weiss scrambled to her feet before sprinting down yet another alley as the men followed in hot pursuit.

The darkess of the passage made it hard to navigate but she just had to keep on pressing forward into the unknown as she heard the cluttering and cursing of her followers.

Seeing a bright light to her left, the heiress sped after it, hoping to end up in a populated part of the village, only to have those hopes immediately crushed as the came into contact with a large, brick wall.

There was no other exit and she no longer had the energy to use her glyphs, fighting them was out of the question, so what else could she do?

She didn't have enough time to rack her brain for answers as she once again heard the sounds of leather against stone as they approached her position.

Seeing no way out of the situation, Weiss laid back against the wall and slid down into a fetal position, thinking of things to come.

She would be taken back to her father, who would be enraged at her disobedience and loss of the briefcase, she would never be allowed to leave without supervision and would be surprised if she was still allowed to train to become a huntress.

She paled when she remembered the other, most dreadful consequence, she would never see _him _again, the one who came to her aid when she needed it most, the one who dove headfirst into a frozen lake to protect her, who was changed forever because of her and still remained by her side. Her only true friend in the world.. lost just as easily as she found him.

A single tear made its way down her cheek as she looked down at her knees solemnly, she supposed it wasn't meant to be.

"Down here!" came a shout as the footsteps grew louder, Weiss picked herself back up, ready to accept her fate.  
They got closer and closer as Weiss struggled to keep her emotions in check.  
As they finally came into view, the tall man fixed her with a look of malice, running full speed towards her as his partner followed from behind.

Weiss closed her eyes, silently praying they could still be reasoned with, admittedly not having high hopes.  
She heard the sounds of their rapid approach before there was a sudden wind and the sound of water freezing.

"Wuh-oah!" came the cries of the two men as they slipped on the suddenly appearing ice beneath their feet, hitting the ground with a resounding thud and sliding towards the heiress before stopping at her feet, knocked out cold.

She was too fixated on the men to question the suddenly appearing ice or notice the teen in the black and lavender hoodie approaching her before leaning down to retrieve the glove from the unconscious henchman's hand before raising it up to the heiress.

"I-I'm guessing this is yours" he spoke, silently cursing the cold for messing up his entrance line.  
The girl was broken out of her stupor as she stared up at the boy with glassy eyes.  
"Jaune...?" she asked, not quite believing her eyes.  
"Um... I think so" he looked quizzical "you okay?" he rested a hand on her shoulder, one the girl noticed was shaking slightly.

"C-come on, let's get b-back..." he spoke, leading her back in silence as Weiss latched onto his arm in an attempt to keep him warm, not bothering him in the slightest.

* * *

"That was stupid, reckless, dim-witted, irresponsible, childish, careless and completely jovial!" Jaune winced at the harsh string of words before she composed herself "But... thank you, regardless"

After a thankfully uneventful return trip, the pair had headed back up to their room, Jaune being forced back into his bed whilst Weiss sat on the corner.

The boy chuckled before remembering the two men.  
"Weiss, why were those men after you?" he asked, earning a hesitant look from the heiress as she considered her next words.

"I will tell you" the boy leaned closer, expectantly, waiting a good couple of seconds growing slightly impatient before the girl shook her head, "just... not today, okay?" Jaune fell back, goraning inwardly but didn't say anything, whilst wanting to know more, Jaune knew it had been a tiring day for her, both physically and psychologically, so he put the matter to rest.

"More importantly, I have something for you!" the girl announced cheerily before taking out the lavender pair of finger-less gloves and presenting them to him.

"They should help you with the cold, though I'm not sure if you'll feel warm exactly..." she trailed off before she suddenly felt something take hold of both her hands, looking down she noticed they were the pure white hands of the boy in the bed caressing her own. They weren't warm, exactly the opposite but somehow.. it felt nice.

"They're perfect" he proclaimed with a small grin and attempted to place them onto his hands, though struggling to do so as the shaking hadn't died down yet.

Rolling her eyes at the boy's struggle, deciding to lend a hand "Here"  
She took the first and helped place it onto Jaune's right hand, lingering there for a moment before quickly grabbing the other one and doing the same.

As soon as she let go, they suddenly emanated a warm glow before settling down as an odd sensation coursed through him as a grin graced his features.  
"They work! I actually don't feel it anymore, it's like the cold just faded away!" he exclaimed in glee as Weiss couldn't help but smile tiredly before her eyes started feeling heavy.

"Naturally... you should be very... very... thankful" she spoke, progressively getting slower as she crawled onto the bed.

"Uh... Weiss?" But he got no response as the heiress laid down besidehim, their noses nearly touching and fell into a deep sleep. Jaune chuckled quietly before covering her with a spare blanket and turning off the light.  
"Good night, Snow Angel"

Both teens slept peacefully, comforted by each other's presence, savoring the what would turn out to be their last night together until two years later.. at Beacon Academy.

* * *

**Phew! That was a long chapter to write! The next chapter is the final one in this prelude arc, then it's off to Beacon to meet the rest of the gang.**

**Anyhow, I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter and will continue to follow the story as it progresses.  
****Many thanks! -RareNyte**


	3. Meltdown: Part One

**Once again, thank you guys so much for the support, I really appreciate it.**

**Slight change, after seeing how long this chapter went on for, I decided to split it into two parts, but don't worry, the rest will be uploaded as soon as I can.  
**

**Hope you enjoy!  
**

* * *

_"Stupid human, you knew you had no chance"_

_She had to stop this, this couldn't happen!_

_She acted without thinking, suddenly facing the attacker._

_"W-Weiss... no, run!"_

_She wouldn't let this happen_

_There was no turning back now_

_He readied his sword and rifle,_

_She raised her rapier,_

_Then came the gunfire._

* * *

Weiss let out a small yawn as flickered her eyes open, having temporarily forgotten about the events that transpired the previous day.

In fact, she was more concerned with the fact that her face was no more than a few inches away from the boy's beside her.  
She instantly sat up in a panic as she tried to remember how she had gotten into such a position.  
Prompting memories of returning home, giving Jaune his gift then... deciding in her half awake state to lay down beside him for the night to return to her.

She groaned, holding her hand to her head in embarrassment, she turned her attention back to him to see a small smile on his face, earning a suspicious glare from Weiss, hoping for his sake that he wasn't thinking about anything he wouldn't want to tell her about.

Removing the covers over her, Weiss headed over to where she left her bags, spending another day wearing her current combat dress was unthinkable in the state it was in.  
Looking through her purchases from the other day, she found a pure white dress similar to her usual except with black edgings and buttons accompanied by a similarly colored skirt with dark frills.

Happy with her choice, the heiress laid it down on the bedside table before heading in to the bathroom to freshen up, this was the first time since coming to the Bed and Breakfast that Jaune was able to come with her into town and she wanted to make the most out of it.

After all...

The images of the two men in black suits chasing her through the town resurfaced, sending a chill down her spine.  
_  
"Didn't you hear me? I said we were ordered to get you home"  
__  
"Afraid so, daddy wants you back as soon as possible, okay?"_

_"You can explain it all to daddy just as soon as we get home"_

She looked over to the boy resting peacefully in the bed with a downcast expression.

Their time together may be running out sooner than she'd expected...

* * *

For the first time in the last few days, Jaune woke without the unwanted greeting of the blistering cold or aching from frozen lake related injuries, instead, this morning he opened his eyes with a smile on his face as the sun crept through the window, giving the room a beautiful golden glow, he didn't feel compelled to wrap himself up in the duvet to keep himself warm, thanking the lavender accessories covering his fists.

Yes, for the first day since the incident, Jaune felt nothing but happiness and tranquility...

Only to be interrupted as he was struck by a flying bag, hitting him square in the forehead and leaving him dazed as he attempted to identify the white blur standing before him with it's arms crossed in an impatient manner.

"You really know how to sleep in, don't you?" she complained, quite rightfully so, Jaune had to admit as he checked the clock on the bedside table, it was already past mid-day.

"Ah, sorry, uh.. did we have plans or something?" he asked innocently, earning narrowed eyes from the heiress.  
"What? Did you think I would allow you to laze around here all day after you got better?"  
Jaune flinched slightly before looking like he finally noticed something.

"Is that a new dress?" he asked, eyeing up the girl's new outfit with curiosity.  
"Obviously" She scoffed "Tears and dirt don't exactly scream sophistication, you know? You should get changed too, I refuse to appear in public accompanied by someone dressed so scruffily" she pointed down at the boy's lap where the projectile she had hurled turned out to be a bag from a nearby clothing outlet.

Inside was a fresh pair of darkly colored jeans and a light blue long sleeved shirt, considerably more plain than the clothes the heiress adorned, though he supposed that was only natural, he didn't really like fancy get ups anyway.

After grabbing his hoodie, he headed to the bathroom for a quick change before holstering his sword and shield, just in case, and joining Weiss as she led him out into the town.

* * *

Jaune couldn't help but feel joyful as he walked the familiar streets.

Not really having the opportunity to enjoy it earlier, Jaune took in his surroundings with a large smile, even though it had only been a few days, he had started to miss the rest of this place, the shops, the friendly community, his friends, his... family.

Jaune's gleeful expression faded slightly when he remembered that he still hadn't checked in with them, he felt guilty when he thought about how worried they must be. He did want to see them again, his parents and his seven sisters, however...

He looked down at himself with a slight frown, seeing his pale skin blend in with the snow they were treading through, how would he explain this?  
Would they even recognize him?

He subconsciously pulled his hood down, concealing his features further, not going unnoticed by the heiress who looked at him in concern.

With a sudden thought, Jaune looked to the girl on his left.

"Uh... a bit late now, but we _are _going somewhere right?" he questioned, as Weiss seemed to be leading him in circles, having ended up in the town square for the second time.

The heiress fixed him with a stare that seemed to question his intelligence "What kind of question is that? Of course we are!" she spoke indignantly, before adding quietly "I just need to find it first..."

Following a disbelieving expression from the hooded teen, she sighed exasperatedly.  
"I... was hoping we could find someplace quiet..."she admitted.  
Jaune disregarded the vague answer, scratching his head.

"Yeah, this village is kind of a family place so there aren't a lot of places like-" Jaune paused mid sentence, pressing his fist into his palm, earning an odd look from the heiress.

"I GOT IT!" he exclaimed, earning a few odd stares from nearby pedestrians and a light smack on the head by a red faced heiress.  
"Shush! Can't you be a little more subtle?!" Jaune ignored the rebuke as he took hold of Weiss's hand in excitement.  
"Jaune?! What are you-?"  
"Come on!" with that, the boy began speeding off towards the woods with the girl in tow, yelling at him to slow down.

Both of them ignorant of the low growl coming from their observer as he began to track them.

* * *

Weiss had given up trying to reason with the ecstatic teen, allowing him to drag her for a good minute until he finally came to a stop and sighed with content.  
"Someplace like this?" he motioned towards the sight in front of him, they were standing upon a high hill, coated with pure white snow, where at the top was an edge from which you could see the entire village.

Weiss managed to make out the 'Garnets and Garments' looking out of place as ever, the town square where the little brat- little _child _almost got her captured and the Bed and Breakfast in the center. It truly was a breathtaking sight, she gazed at it in wonder, winter wonderlands were not uncommon for the heiress but they were always made to be that way, this was different, it was natural beauty.

"So..." Jaune began, taking a seat on top of the hill "What did you want to talk about?" Weiss stared back blankly, having temporarily forgotten the reason they were there in the first place.

"Right well," she cleared her throat, placing herself down as he perched on the edge, her legs suspended below.  
"I was just thinking that we should get properly acquainted, after all, we have been through a lot but I still don't know that much about you"

Jaune looked contemplative "Well, I mean what else is there? I'm Jaune, I come from... well here, I'm a- well I _was _a natural blond, I have seven sisters, I like comic books... uh, oh and I recently discovered I can control snow and ice! So that's a thing..." Jaune turned with an uneasy smile only to be met by unimpressed eyes as the heiress looked disappointed with his answer.

"Is that it?" she asked in a highly underwhelmed tone.

"Hey, it's hard to come up with stuff like that on the spot, what about you?" the boy pouted, crossing his arms.

"Oh?" Weiss spoke with a challenging expression "I am Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, I am a huntress in training, my semblance is my array of multi-functional glyphs and I fight with a Multi Action Dust Rapier" she finished confidently.

"...fine, you win" Jaune sighed, knowing he was beaten.

"Come on, it's easy, just say what makes you you, for example" she encouraged, pointing to the holster on the boy's waist "are you planning to become a huntsman?"  
Jaune's expression faltered slightly as he glanced down at the sheathed sword and shield.

"I... I don't know" Weiss was surprised by the answer but didn't interject as he thought about his words "Well I come from a long line of huntsman, all strong and brave, they were heroes. But..." his eyes drifted down from the heiress' to the hill beneath them as he continued  
"I'm just not sure if I can live up to them, I've never attended any kind of combat school or had any _real _training, my dad showed me some basics but he's always busy, I just don't know if I'm up for it, you know?

No matter who's helping me, I can never be anything better than mediocre, I'm just not cut out for it..." he finished solemnly, not turning back to the girl sat beside him, guessing she was realizing just how pathetic he was.

"You idiot"

Jaune's eyes widened at the unexpected response. He turned to see her raising an eyebrow at him.

"Not cut out for it? Never better than mediocre?

Minutes after we met, you managed to elude a group of trained assassins, carrying me half the way, then you tackled one of them into a frozen lake, which was still a stupid thing to do but I digress, you managed to hold your own against him and using you new power, managed to drive him and those other rapscallions back into the dirt holes they crawled out from.

And if that isn't enough, even when you were frozen half to death, you still somehow managed to come to my aid when I needed it most. I'll admit I was skeptical at first, but right now... I feel like I can really trust you to have my back"

Jaune gaped at the girl beside him, he often only heard this kind of thing from his mother, not that he'd care to admit that. However he had grown to dismiss it as a mother's obligation, whereas this girl, who usually did not hold back with her opinions, was openly praising him.  
It was a new and not at all unpleasant experience.

"Forget being cut out for it, to me, you are already a huntsman, willing to risk your life to save another's, I find that admirable. To be perfectly honest, I'm a little envious that it comes so naturally to you"

She admitted truthfully, turning towards him with a serious expression, putting a hand under his chin, once again getting to eye level with him as deep blue met icy once more.

"So stop doubting yourself all the time, you're more capable than you think, right now, the only thing holding you back is yourself"

There was a small silence following that as Jaune took in everything he had been told with a small smile as Weiss looked over the town with an unreadable expression.

Looking up at her, Jaune was once again captivated by the heiress in white, whilst she could be cold at times, she wasn't heartless, a look down at the lavender gloves covering his hands were proof enough of that, not to mention the countless hours she spent attending to him after entering the Bed and Breakfast a few days prior.

"Weiss" he spoke up, breaking the silence as the heiress turned to see deep blue eyes, full of warmth staring right at her.  
"Thank you for everything" he said, the words few in number but carrying more emotion and meaning than a hundred from one of her suitors attempting to marry into the family.  
Unlike their business proposal like methods of courtship, this felt completely genuine, straight from the boy's heart, creating a rather odd emotion to stir in her own.

She simply nodded at him before the two were sat in silence once more, both feeling elated now that they now had a mutual understanding of each other. Jaune was happy that he managed to see past the cold exterior and find out what she truly thought of him, while Weiss was happy that she began to understand how the boy's thought process worked, self deprecating as he was, he truly wanted to help others and not for selfish reasons.

Both now relished in their renewed understanding of one another, that was until a thought suddenly struck the heiress as she tried and failed to find a memory to prove her wrong, finding nothing, realizing for the first time that there was a sizable gap in her knowledge concerning the hooded boy next to her.

"Hey, Jaune" she spoke slowly, surprised at the fact she hadn't asked sooner.

"Hm?" he looked to her in curiosity, confused by the troubled look on the heiress's face.

"What's your last na-" As if fate had deemed it so, the question was never answered as the heiress suddenly sprung onto the boy, sending the pair of them tumbling to the side, just out of the rifle's range, leaving behind a scorched piece of ground where the two had been just sitting two seconds prior.

"Damn, I'm surprised you managed to dodge that in time. But know this" The startled duo looked behind to see a shape emerging from the shadows of the forest, revealing a tall faunus with dyed red hair and a pair of horns that seemed akin to a bull's. He was clad in a black trench coat decorated with red flame-like designs.  
However the most significant trait was his mask that covered his upper face, resembling a creature of Grimm.

"I _never _miss twice" he growled threateningly, raising his weapon once more, a black sheathe that apparently doubled as a rifle, containing a blood red sword that emanated malice from one glance.

Weiss and Jaune quickly jumped up and took defensive stances, Weiss equipping her rapier as Jaune enlarged his shield before pulling out his family heirloom, holding it the way his father had briefly demonstrated to him long ago.

Not wanting to let him take another shot, Weiss activated her semblance, revolving the fire dust into the rapier's chamber then propelling herself towards the faunus as she struck forward, only for the target to sidestep at the last second, causing her to pass him harmlessly, losing her footing.

He smirked, wanting to take advantage of the situation, reaching to bunt her with the sheathe rifle, only to be blocked by a large silver shield as the boy knelt between the two.

"I guess I'll have to get rid of you first" he spoke threateningly, unnerving the inexperienced fighter as he was grabbed by the neck and hurled back towards the edge of the large hill, a few feet further and he would have surely plummeted down the sleep slope.

The heiress, having regained her composure, waving her rapier in the air, creating 6 light blue stars, sending forward several rays of light as she swung down, the rays seemed to be headed straight for the faunus, only for him to easily dodge it once again as it instead impacted the boy behind him, suspending him in the air, fixed in place.

"Thanks for the help, your highness" the faunus snarked raising his sheathe, striking the helpless boy and sending him tumbling down the hill before rolling into the murky woods surrounding the area.

"Jaune!" the heiress exclaimed as he fell out of view, cursing her carelessness before her reflexes kicked in once again as she quickly raised her rapier, blocking a strike from the sword wielder, chuckling darkly.  
"You think you can afford to focus on other things?" he jeered as Weiss jumped back, fixing the attacker with an intense glare.  
"Now shall we continue?"

* * *

Jaune struggled to retain consciousness as he laid against the base of a tree, too dizzy to stand. He hadn't suffered any major damage, but the small injuries and aches remained, reminding him of the dire need to get his aura unlocked. Not that he planned to make a habit of these kinds of situations, even if fate saw things differently.

Hearing the sound of gunfire and the metal clangs echoing from on top the hill, the boy took a breath before forcing himself up, using the trunk as support as he tried to fend off the drowsiness that came upon him.

With a grunt, he began to tread towards the sounds of battle, eventually reaching a gap in the trees, seeing marks in the snow where he must have collided with the ground, wincing at the thought.

Just as he was about to start climbing the hill, he paused.

He thought he could just make out the sound of something whizzing towards him, then the high pitch sound whir as a black pistol went sailing past his head.  
Taken by surprise, he just barely managed to jump out of the way before being entangled by the ribbon attached to the pistol.

Looking back, Jaune saw the pistol fly into the hand of a girl around his age with long, wavy black hair, wearing a white buttoned up vest, black stockings that gradually faded into purple and a curious bow upon her head. Though to Jaune, her most striking feature was her eyes, the bright amber irises seemed to glow in the dark of the woods as the held up the pistol yet again.

Jaune just managed to raise his shield in time as the projectiles failed to penetrate it, though oddly, Jaune noted that she had aimed low, towards his legs rather than a vital spot. He couldn't delve further into that line of thought as he heard the sound of metal compartments detaching, he lowered his shield to see the girl running straight at him now equipped with a katana and what seemed to resemble a large cleaver.

Raising his shield yet again, he struggled to block he oncoming barrage of slices and slashes from the double handed attack, he was slowly being pushed backwards, he gritted his teeth, aware that if he lost his balance, it would likely mean the end of him.

The onslaught seemed to last minutes before Jaune saw it, she had apparently grown tired and swung her blade clumsily, causing it to bounce off the shield, leaving her open. His adrenaline began to rush as he went for the chance, swinging his sword in her direction and managing to come into contact, however he was unable to rejoice in his small triumph as the 'girl' in front of him vanished into thin air.

His confusion at the phenomenon was quickly taken advantage of as he was hit with the blunt edge of the cleaver, sending him reeling to the ground before he instinctively rolled away so that she couldn't deal the final blow.

He quickly stumbled to his feet, casting a glance of his attacker patiently waiting. Something was wrong...  
"Why are you doing this?" he asked, temporarily lowering his shield, to any huntsman, that would be suicidal, but Jaune had a nagging feeling about this one.  
"You don't need to know" she responded coolly before raising her katana once again "Leave and you will not be harmed"

Without having to think, Jaune shook his head.  
"Sorry, but I'm not going to let you take her" he stated, raising his weapons once again.  
The girl showed no emotion before narrowing her eyes "Very well"

With that she disappeared from in front of him, leading him to rapidly check in every direction for signs of the stealthy assailant. The sound of rustling leaves alerted him before the pistol whip was hurled towards him again, this time only missing by a few inches before being pulled back rapidly, causing the gun to fire several rounds that he blocked successfully.

Though just as quickly, he heard the crack as the pistol was flung from behind with the blade end heading straight for his back, he swiftly parried it with his blade, being forced to duck as the trigger was pulled once more before it returned to the darkness of the treetops.

If things continued like this, he would run out of energy sooner than he'd like, definitely sooner than the girl currently leaping between the branches high above him.  
"I'm not running, so you might as well tell me why you're after her" he called upwards, making sure she heard him, he felt something was iffy here, and seeing as he wouldn't be winning this fight any time soon, might as well have a chat.

There was a long pause as even the rustling had died down, Jaune readied himself, preparing for the inevitable sneak attack.  
"...She is a target of value to the White Fang" Jaune blinked in surprise, not actually expecting an answer.  
"So... the assassins failed so you were sent in their place, huh?" he looked up, though not really knowing where to fix his gaze.  
"What are you going to do with her?"

He was met with silence, then with the edge of a blade as she suddenly emerged from a nearby bush, without thinking the boy blocked it, but his shield was still at his side.  
The attacker looked in shock as Jaune gripped the edge of the blade, wondering why it hadn't sliced the boy's hand clean off, only then noticing the heavy frost that now coated his right hand.

Both looked in awe as the frost spread to cover his entire hand in a protective layer of ice like a gauntlet made entirely from ice.  
Even the blade started to freeze up too, prompting the girl to quickly draw it back, retreating a few steps.

"Why do you want her?" he repeated, with an icy tone to his voice that surprised the girl with the bow.

"The Schnees are famed for their cruel treatment of faunus workers" she replied, looking warily at her target, taken aback by the development.  
"So, you decide to kidnap an innocent, young girl?" he spoke with distaste as the faunus retreated back into the shadows, wanting to keep her distance for the time being.

"Don't you think that's a bit unfair?" Jaune called out, now more interested in the talk than the fight.  
"Unfair? The faunus are faced with injustice every day, we are always looked down upon as lesser beings" came the voice from above.  
"And that justifies senseless crime?" he retorted, a temper beginning to rise, evident in his tone.

"...it's the only way, to be respected we have to use more forceful methods, otherwise nothing will change!"  
"Don't give me that! These methods are wrong, and you know it!" that last comment made the rustling cease as the faunus failed to respond  
"I know you don't agree with it, if you did, I would be dead by now!" the girl paused, the boy was right, she hated the way things were, but she just didn't feel right about killing for freedom. To her, freedom through bloodshed was no freedom at all, but what other option was there?

"The White Fang aren't freedom fighters any more, they are a bunch of crazed terrorists!"  
"Shut up! Don't act like you know the first thing about us!" she yelled in anger, they weren't evil or crazed, maybe misguided but...  
"Their methods will end up in nothing but conflict! They want the humans gone, dead! Are you okay with letting all those people die?"

The faunus held her head in her hands, trying to block out the boy  
"It's either them or us!" she shouted, not quite believing it herself, just wanting this to end quickly.

"I said don't give me that!" the boy roared as he raised his fist and hit the ground below with a heavy punch

Jaune looked down at his feet as a tremor shook the ground beneath them, the faunus quickly gripped the branch she stood upon for support.

There was an almighty crack as the spikes of ice tore the ground open, extending in every direction, towards the trees, demolishing them as they crossed its path.  
The girl yelped before falling to the ground as a large spire of ice crashed into the tree she was perched upon.

She landed roughly before hastily trying to pick herself up as trees fell around her, letting the light of day shine into this part of the forest, illuminating the two brawlers, both heavily panting.

The faunus looked in awe at the colossal ice structures that protruded from the ground where the boy had planted his fist.  
The boy was definitely powerful, if he could control that ability, he would probably make an outstanding huntsman.

After the tremors died down, eyes of amber met dark blue as they exchanged looks, she laid there dumbfounded, unsure of what to do or say when the boy cleared his throat.

"Like I said, don't say things like that,

I know you aren't that cruel, you wouldn't knowingly let innocent people die, so don't pretend. Sure, things may look pretty bad for faunus right now, but terrorism is _never _the answer. If you believe that, and I think you do, don't bend to their ways. Find your own path, and follow it, it'll be much harder, for sure, and it may take a lot longer, but do you really want equality built upon foundations of bloodshed and fear?"

"But...what can I accomplish alone?" the girl attempted to counter as Jaune thought back to the words that were said to him a few days earlier.

" 'With that attitude, you'll never get anything right. Don't run away just because it scares you. You have to overcome this, you can do it, I know it, you just have to believe in yourself a little' " he repeated, remembering every word of it proudly.

With that, he turned away from the girl, heading off to the hill he had been thrown from with newly found determination, leaving the faunus to her conflicting  
thoughts.

Without getting up, she looked at one of the Ice spires, seeing a cold, calculating girl staring back at her, willing to do anything to achieve equality for her people. Was that who she really was, or who she thought she was? Was it who she tried to convince herself she was?

She clenched her fist as the boy had, within 5 minutes of meeting her, made her question her entire belief system and doubt who she really was and what she stood for.

She had to admit, he was good.

She looked down at herself, laying on the cold snow floor, her life spared after a verbal beatdown by the very person she had been ordered to take out... feeling nothing but shame and guilt.

_'Blake Belladonna, what have you become?'_ she thought to herself as she closed her eyes, her world fading to black.

**To be continued...**


	4. Meltdown: Part Two

**Finally, the conclusion to this prelude arc, hope you enjoy! Please Follow/Favorite if you want and leave a Review with what you think :)**

* * *

There was another crack as a bullet whizzed past her, barely missing her left ear. She knew now to flip backwards after he took a shot like that, her hypothesis proven true when she heard metal slicing the air behind her.

This was a dangerous situation, the attacker had obviously seen more battles than the heiress, his techniques were clearly often practiced as he carried them out with accuracy and brutal efficiency. However it didn't seem that his weapon was too complicated, he could either use it as a sword or a shotgun, that was it. Slowly, Weiss believed she was getting used to his attack pattern.

Weiss once again tried desperately to remember her training, losing her composure in a fight with someone with skills of such a caliber would prove fatal.  
She took her stance, holding her rapier up to her chest as she focused her eyes on the faunus in front of her.

The older boy showed no signs of tiring as he rushed forward, unsheathing his sword seemingly in the blink of an eye before stabbing straight at the target, no longer caring about taking her alive. Her family was nothing but a bunch of manipulative bastards that deserved everything they got.

Weiss quickly saw the familiar movements and stepped to the side, just out of harms way, mimicking the dodge the attacker had used before.  
But just as he seemed to pass her, he changed direction mid air, swinging his sword at her, making her spring backwards to avoid it.

The faunus chuckled as he sheathed his blade once more, had he known she was trying to predict his moves? The heiress narrowed her eyes in suspicion, now knowing she couldn't win with a cheap tactic like that.

Weiss instead decided to be the one to take the initiative while he was still underestimating her and attack with full power.  
Closing her eyes, she thought up a rough battle plan before opening her eyes and staring at the faunus, watching his next move.

He paid her actions no mind as he rushed forward, gripping his sheathe with an emotionless expression.  
Waiting for the right time, Weiss stood where she was, unmoving.

The faunus saw this as an admission of defeat but that wasn't going to stop him now, the Schnee would die here, nobody would blame him if he said he was left no alternative.

He smirked before unsheathing his weapon, preparing for the final strike, thrusting it forward, waiting for the satisfying sounds of metal cutting flesh... hearing nothing.

Looking up in bewilderment, the space his target had occupied just seconds ago was now empty. Then he sensed her, directly behind him.

Weiss brought Myretenaster down with a cry as the pair were surrounded by a circle of fire, bright orange embers serving as a barrier, illuminating them both.  
The faunus looked around, not wanting to risk getting touched by the flames, looked back to find the heiress was now suspended in the air with a brilliant white glyph beneath her feet.

She fixed him with eyes of determination before she vanished once again, re-appearing directly behind him as the faunus suddenly felt a surge of pain like a blade slicing him, but the girl wasn't finished, rapidly attacking the faunus from every angle as he took every hit without dodging once.

Weiss continued on, unaware of the bright red light that emanated from the faunus's sheathe and hair as he absorbed the attack.

The onslaught finally came to an end when Weiss propelled herself away from her opponent before turning back and gasping in shock.  
There, glaring her with a scowl was the faunus, still standing, she could see where she had dealt some damage but it was nothing critical.

Then, without a word, he raised his sheathe and pointed in her direction as she was temporarily too stunned to react.  
With an unnoticeable trick of his hand, he channeled all the kinetic energy he had taken in from the attack into his blade, looking up at his prey once more.

"This is the end for you!" he spoke, rather dramatically which Weiss would have found laughable in any other situation.  
There was a deafening roar as the energy was unleashed with a battle cry as he swung his sword through the air as the sky seemed to turn red.

Weiss closed her eyes, unable to get away, this was it, this was going to be it!

_**'CRACK'**_

Weiss slowly opened her eyes, expecting to see a large chunk of her missing, her outfit permanently stained with blood.  
What she was definitely not expecting the sight in front of her, which even her faunus opponent gaped at before grunting in anger, having been denied his kill.

Directly between the two, having absorbed the blast, was a barrier... of _solid ice._

She was lost in her amazement at the sudden icy structure that she didn't notice the boy coming up behind her until he tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to turn to him with a gasp.

Before her was a boy about her age with a snow white complexion and similarly colored hair that was partially concealed his black and lavender hoodie.  
"You okay?" he asked casually, as if he hadn't just saved her life by creating a wall of ice strong enough to block a supercharged burst of kinetic energy.

"Fine, but, I thought you were thrown off the cliff..." she questioned, confused at the lack of injuries present on the boy's body.  
"Yeah, I was, but is diving off cliffs really something new to me?" he smiled jokingly.  
Weiss sighed, she had to admit, he _was_ making a habit out of it.

"Now" Jaune stated, standing and turning to face the red haired faunus that stood a few steps away, watching the two carefully.  
"I defeated your partner, you're on your own, why not go get her and get out of here?"

For the first time, the two thought they saw a flicker of emotion course through the faunus at the mention of his partner, though this was forgotten when he shook his head and began to speak in his regular cold tone.

"I'm not going anywhere" with that, he prepared for yet another fight, to the dismay of Jaune who just wanted to get Weiss out of there as soon as possible.

"Jaune, be careful" the heiress held Jaune's arm, eyeing him seriously, to which he smiled confidently.  
"Come on, just who do you think I am?"  
"A reckless rogue that acts purely on guesses and whims without regard for his own safety or the consequences of his decisions" Weiss deadpanned, dealing a light blow to the boy's pride.

"But..." she continued, looking down "you're also my friend" Jaune looked at her, both surprised and joyful at her words of concern.  
"So don't get yourself killed" she ordered as the boy chuckled.

Deciding to give her a dose of her own medicine, he lifted her chin so that their eyes of contrasting shades of blue met, one pair full of worry, the other full of warmth and innocence.

"It's gonna be okay"

Jaune stood and prepared to fight, not able to ignore the heavy amount of pressure that the faunus was emitting.

"...Probably" he corrected himself, just quietly enough so the heiress wouldn't hear.

With a sudden snarl, the faunus charged at Jaune as the boy swiftly rolled to the side, pulling out his sword whilst raising his other arm when Weiss noticed something.

He hadn't equipped his shield, had he just forgotten, or could it be that-?

Her suspicions were soon proved correct when an attempt at a strike from the faunus's sheathe was blocked as Jaune's right hand was suddenly completely engulfed in ice.

With a low growl, he aimed the sheathe at the boy before firing the blade itself, its hilt burying into Jaune's forehead as he was sent flying backwards, prompting the red-head to aim a kick at his abdomen, sending him tumbling a few more feet before coming into contact with the base of a tree, knocking the air out of him as he lay collapsed upon the floor.

Already bored of the fight, the faunus aimed his rifle at the defenseless boy, only stopping when a bright light appeared from beneath him, another glyph!  
With a burst of light, he was hurled into the sky, just managing to correct himself in the air and land on his two feet, sending a death glare to the heiress before turning to where Jaune was.

Only to see no one there as an ice covered fist impacted the left side of his face, sending him spiraling backwards into the snow, becoming disoriented as he felt where the punch had landed, feeling both intense pain and freezing cold from the touch.

Feeling his temper rising, the faunus turned away from the boy, his glare now settled upon the heiress who had been watching the fight ensue intently before picking himself up and beginning to sprint towards her in an attempt to snatch her as she was stunned.

The girl only noticed when he was a few steps away, it was too late, he chuckled as he began to close their distance, although his expression turned from a smirk to a look of panic as he came to a rough stop before he was impaled on the large spike of ice that had suddenly sprung up from the ground, separating him from his target.

Then, one after another, blades of hardened snow and ice came shooting up from the ground, causing the faunus to rely on his instincts as he jumped backwards to avoid them.

_Penitentes, _Weiss seemed to recall the official name for that kind of structure, though she found it far more likely that Jaune was simply thinking of them as spikes of ice, either way, they seemed to be enough to give the faunus a run for his money as he struggled to avoid them.

Once he was a fair distance away from her, the ground stopped shaking and no more spikes spurted up from the ground, he checked his surroundings carefully before he was distracted by something.

A wind was blowing directly towards him, but it was considerably colder than normal and it sent a chill down his spine.

Turning round, he saw the source of the cold air, Jaune stood there, fixing him with an ice cold gaze that seemed to fix him in place. Was he taking advantage of his power to use as a threatening technique? As unconventional as it sounds, the mist surrounding him and the hard stare were certainly unsettling, even for him.

_"Member of the White Fang" _he began in an icy tone, fitting the description the assassin had given the faunus after their failed mission.  
_"I can control snow and ice and do whatever I want with them, they can be the perfect defense and a pretty strong offense,as you have kinda seen already, there are a lot of things you can do with both, now look around you, what do you see?"_

The tone must have gotten to the red-headed faunus as he darted his eyes round, finally realizing that covering the ground, freezing the water and chilling the air as far as the eye could see, was snow and ice.

However, the faunus knew just how experienced Jaune was with it,  
"You only recently got that power, didn't you? The assassin assured me you didn't have it at first, so you must not have had much time to practice it, let alone perfect it. So looking around... are you sure you can handle this?" he jeered, the lack of response from Jaune proof enough that her was exactly right.

"And not to mention..." he pointed at the heiress at the top of the hill "Can you ensure her safety if you do?"  
Jaune's eyes widened as he realized how easy it would be to accidentally harm Weiss whilst she stood on the snow, he hadn't even been thinking of that when he summoned the spikes of ice from the ground earlier, it would have been too easy for one of them to get too close to her and... he winced at the thought.

Jaune was silent as the faunus smiled before suddenly charging at the boy once again, who was not prepared and barely managed to raise his arm in time as the faunus brought down his sheathe upon him.

There was a resounding crack as Jaune grabbed his arm in pain, looking down he realized his arm was unprotected, he just couldn't get a grip on his power after hearing that he could have harmed Weiss.

The faunus smirked, taking full advantage of the situation, hitting the boy repeatedly with the butt of his rifle, knocking him down every time he tried to fight back, without his power, he was just as weak as any other human.

The boy coughed up blood, staining the pure white snow that lay around him. In his frustration, the faunus beat the boy over and over, kicking and butting him until he was definitely not getting back up again.

"Stupid human, you knew you had no chance" the faunus mocked as he prepared his rifle slowly, so that the human knew what was coming.  
Weiss looked on in horror, she had to stop this, it couldn't happen!

Using the remainder of her energy, she activated her semblance and sped over to the two boys with her rapier pulled back, ignoring the aches and pains, only focused on one thing. The faunus, hearing her coming, leapt back as she impacted the ground where he had been standing, taking a defensive position in front of Jaune.

It was finally her turn to protect _him._

"W-Weiss... no, run!" the boy choked, Weiss didn't respond, completely focused on the filthy faunus opposite her, she wouldn't let this happen, not to him!  
The faunus said nothing, wanting to end this already, before resting his hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade.

Weiss readied Myretenaster, making sure it had a sufficient amount of Dust before the two locked eyes, both watching for any suspicious movements as Weiss stood up from her position and got into her rehearsed stance.  
There was no turning back now.

In the blink of an eye, the two clashed, the sounds of two metal instruments clanging reverberated off the hilltop as the two were engaged in a deadly sword-fight, both panting heavily as the fighting grew more intense, neither fighter prepared to lose.

The wind began to pick up, though the duo didn't notice as they battled for supremacy endlessly, Weiss managing to counter his blows not that Jaune had tired him out.

At least, that's what she thought, she learnt that it was never wise to underestimate someone who has faced more battles than you, raising his sheathe also, the faunus went for a double strike, hitting with the sword to be blocked by her rapier, only to take out her legs with the rifle sheathe and butt the weapon out of her hands.

The faunus showed no hesitation as he raised the butt of the rifle, wanting to make it quick, but _very _painful.  
A sudden burst of gunfire interrupted him as the rifle was shot out of his hands, landing in the snow bank to his right.

Weiss turned to the direction the gunfire came from, seeing no figure but she could have sworn she saw a pair of luminescent amber eyes sneaking off into the darkness.

Just as the faunus was retrieving his weapon, the wind increased again, noticeably as both fighters looked up and were stunned at what they saw.  
Rising over the high trees of the woods were airships wearing the Schnee symbol. Two transport and one...

The faunus had to block with his sheathe as a hail of gunfire came upon him from the combat airship. He realized that the situation was only going to get worse, so, after a quick curse towards the two on the hill, sped off into the darkness of the woods, grumbling about Schnees and their big ass airships.

Now knowing that Jaune was safe, a weight lifted from her shoulders, leaving her light headed as she realized how tired she had become.  
She looked over to the tree with half lidded eyes, seeing the white haired teen unconscious as she succumbed to the same, collapsing into a heap on he snowy ground, hearing the sounds of airships landing and men shouting fade out as she took a well deserved rest.

"mmm-mph goodnight, Jaune" she murmured as the crafts touched down on the snowy hill.

* * *

"Let me get this straight, you ran into two fifteen year old kids, one a princess and the other a village boy, and _still _got your ass kicked?" the cat faunus chuckled obnoxiously, enjoying the pissed off look he was getting.

"Things got complicated..." Adam muttered as he laid back against the mess hall wall, admittedly relieved to be back at the White Fang HQ but still regrettig not shooting the heiress down when he got the chance.

Though now that he thought about it, did that gunfire really come from the airship? It wasn't even in view then...

A sudden thought struck him as he surveyed the crows populating the mess hall, seeing squirrel tails, fish gills, shark teeth, cow horns and he could have sworn he saw a pair of butterfly wings but no matter where he looked, he couldn't pick out a little bow.

His suspicions growing inside his head, he turned towards the gleeful feline with a contemplative expression.  
"Where's Blake?"

The other faunus looked at him in shock before his eyes turned sympathetic, only serving to unnerve Adam as he waited for an answer.  
"Uh... sorry man. Didn't you hear?" the feline scratched his head uncomfortably before he was roughly grabed by the collar and held up against the wall.  
"_ Where IS she?_"

* * *

"Miss Schnee? Hello, miss? Um, miss?" Weiss slowly opened her eyes, feeling rumbling beneath her and hearing he rattling of the airship, she turned to the voice beside her, trying to make it out.  
"Jaune?" She asked, unaware of the situation.  
" 'John'? Um, no. My name is Dr Maddison, your father has been very worried about you, young lady, I'm here to make sure you're A okay" he explained with a grin, but Weiss's mind was completely focused on something else entirely.

"-your vitals are fine and your aura, while small has managed to-"  
"Where is he?" She spoke seriously, surprising the doctor who gave her a curious look.  
"Where is who, Miss Schnee? Your father? He is quite busy but I'm sure he'll come to see you as soon as-"

"Not him!" she exclaimed, trying to remove herself from the small medical stretcher she had been placed in as the doctor urged her to stay down.  
She knew this would happen, there's no way she could run from them forever, the two men in suits were a painful reminder of that.  
But couldn't they have had at least had one more day? She never got the chance to tell him why, he probably thought she abandoned him...

"Miss Schnee, please, just sit down, we are nearly there!" the doctor's words finally made it through as she calmed herself before laying herself down with an unreadable expression, but she would occasionally look restless or concerned.  
Deciding he ought to look into it, the doctor addressed her.

"So... who is it you want to find?" he asked, taking her by surprise, but it looked like she really wanted to get it out before she suddenly looked hesitant.  
"...would you tell father?" she asked, he was about to tell her it was his responsibility when he saw the look in her eyes.

It wasn't like a child who had done something guilty and didn't want their parent to find out, it was like she was concerned about something much larger.  
He knew he was going to regret it later, but he allowed himself to give in to his emotions this once.  
"I'll try to keep this between us"

The heiress looked skeptical at first but realizing it was the best she was going to get from him.  
"He's... a boy" Typical, the doctor thought, though he supposed it was only natural at her age to start to get interested in such things

"He has a worryingly pale complexion and snow white hair, but he used to have blonde hair, oh and he has deep blue eyes" the doctor raised an eyebrow at the description but listened on  
"He uses a sword and can..." before continuing, she looked around the airship compartment, making sure no one else could hear  
"He has the ability to control snow and ice"  
This piqued the doctor's interest as he could likely come up with about a hundred inquiries into that, but a warning look from the heiress was all he needed to know this was also not to be shared.

He nodded, making a quick note of everything she had told him, but he noticed a rather sizable gap in the details she had given him.  
"Uh, anything else?" he asked, hoping she would remember the obvious, he was not so lucky.  
"Well... he wears a black and purple hoodie, and dust infused gloves, but other than that..."

The doctor refused the urge to place a palm against his head  
"Miss Schnee, do you by any chance know his name?" he asked hopefully, to which Weiss smiled bashfully before answering.

"His name is Jaune, Jaune-" her expression turned somber as she stopped mid sentence, alerting the doctor who had only written the first name.  
"I... don't know" she admitted, looking down all of a sudden.

The doctor knew better not to question before finishing his notes

_Mystery Boy Report_

_'Worryingly' Pale_

_'Snow White' Hair_

_'Deep Blue' Eyes_

_Can control snow and ice?_

_Black and purple hoodie + gloves_

_Name: Jaune ?_

As he headed out the door, he was called back quietly, he turned to see the heiress looking at him with a fragile expression, a rare look for the daughter of someone so significant, a regal persona was a must, or so he had heard.

"Do you think we can find him?" she asked hopefully.

The doctor smiled reassuringly "Well your report was precise, doesn't sound like we'd miss him. Plus there's only one village he could be in right?"  
She seemed to understand as she smiled at him once more, though you could tell she was still worried.

"Don't worry, Miss Schnee, we'll find him, I'm sure of it"

* * *

The teen was silent as the professor continued to go into detail of the features of the school faculties, he couldn't help but be in awe at the quality of the different training grounds and classrooms, hell even the library was breathtaking!

He was inwardly buzzing with excitement as he knew, after two years of hard work, he had finally made it.

"That to your left is the cafeteria, it is mostly a place where students can congregate and discuss current affairs, though in the past the room and it's food have been used for... more barbaric purposes. However we try to encourage students to leave their battles on the battlefield"  
Glynda spoke knowingly as they found themselves back at the front gates.  
Where waiting for them was their notoriously placid headmaster sipping his ever-present cup of coffee

"Ah, Glynda. Are you done showing him around?" he asked, addressing the teacher on the left.  
"Yes, all except the dorm rooms, though he will have others to help him when it gets to that point" she responded, taking glances at the teen every so often.

"True. I'm guessing teamwork will be something of a new experience for you, young man. But I assure you that you will soon adapt to the concept" he nodded confidently, finally addressing the hooded teen on the right. Well he would either adapt to it or die in the forest, a detail Ozpin opted not to inform him of.

"On that topic" Glynda interjected, catching the professor's attention "Have we made preparations for his... special circumstances?"

Ozpin sighed, taking another sip of his coffee "I still think it is unnecessary, there isn't a student that passes through these gates that isn't unique in their own right. There is no place you will find greater diversity and acceptance than at this academy"

"Still, you can't expect him to-"

"It's fine" the teen spoke up for the first time, silencing both of them "They're going to find out anyway and it's not like I'm embarrassed of it or anything, after all, it's what got me this far, I'm proud of it. " he spoke confidently  
Ozpin smiled at that whilst Glynda still looked unsure.

"Young man, on behalf of the staff here at Beacon Academy, I officially welcome you to our school" he announced with a prideful expression as the boy let out a small laugh before removing his hood, revealing rugged, snow white hair and deep blue eyes as he beamed brightly  
"I'm glad to be here!"


	5. A Quick Author's Response

**ATTENTION:**

**(UPDATED FEB. 2016)**

**Hi there, originally, this chapter was a quick response to some reviews following a chapter involving a time skip, however now that the story has progressed much further than this point I believe this chapter is odd and breaks you, the reader's, immersion in the story.**

**I never want to disrespect those who have taken the time to review so the rest of the chapter will remain, but for those of you who are simply going to continue with the story now, I suppose what this chapter space could be better suited for is conveying something to you.**

**Thank you very much for reading this far, seeing people enjoy this piece of fiction truly makes every letter typed worth it, I sincerely hope you continue to enjoy the story as it progresses but even if you aren't going to continue, thank you for taking an interest in my rather shabby work.**

**That was all, have a lovely day! The fic cannon carries on in the next chapter :).**

**Thank you. -RareNyte**

* * *

A/N: Sorry, not a new chapter, but wanted to make this as a quick response to some valuable feedback I received.

Okay guys, last chapter caused some concerns with you that I want to try and clear up.  
I had originally planned to start the story straight from Beacon, more fitting the description, but I decided to write a prelude arc in order to introduce how Jaune met Weiss, their bond and the complications of Jaune's power.

So even though the main story will have always started around his time at Beacon, it doesn't mean the story will be entirely Beacon-centric so it will not be following the run of the series religiously, there is definitely room for some leeway to be creative with.

The abruptness of the two year skip near the end was intentionally meant to contain a bit of shock factor, although I ensure you that I will not be leaving a massive two year gap with no information, I plan to fill in the details as the chapters progress, alternating between moments in the gap and the current story-line with Jaune at Beacon.

For example, Jaune getting into Beacon and Weiss' ongoing search will be looked into in future chapters so I will not be leaving you in the dark.

I hope this doesn't seem like I am bothered by the reviews, constructive criticism is essential for a rookie writer like myself, and that is exactly what you guys are supplying me with :).

* * *

In response to a few specific reviews:

Utoplex- Thank you as always for your opinion, I am glad you are enjoying the story and hope you continue to do so. About the teams, you make a very good argument. That would be interesting to say the least and it would likely open some doors, however when one door opens, several others close as they say. Nonetheless, I will keep what you have said in mind, thank you again.

luis014- Wow, that is impressive if English isn't your first, thank you for expressing your concerns, I sincerely appreciate it. As I mentioned earlier, the first 4 chapters were intended to be a prelude to the main part of the story, which will revolve around his time at Beacon, though as mentioned above, I will not simply ignore the blank space the time skip creates.

About Jaune's attitude towards his power, again you bring up a very valid point, that last part was admittedly the third draft for the ending scene and I wanted to upload at a suitable time and maybe I didn't put as much thought as I should have into that decision.  
However, whilst he said he wasn't ashamed of it, that doesn't mean he wanted to flaunt it around, don't worry , he won't exactly be using it as a conversation starter.

Also, whilst he is his own person, that is not to say Weiss will share his views on the matter...

* * *

If anybody else has concerns, please post a review and let me know, I think responding in a chapter will be a one-off and from now on I will either respond through PM or in the review section if the information would be useful for more than one person.

Not to sound like a broken record, but thank you all once again for your ongoing support!

Next chapter, we will begin the transition into Beacon, though don't expect the Emerald Forest Arc _just _yet ;)

Thank you for reading! - RareNyte


	6. Two Winters Later

Ozpin smiled as he took another sip from his coffee, observing the silent teen opposite him with interest, his focus directed to the way the boy seemed to retain a cool composure despite the tension the professor had been attempting to instill within the dark setting of his office, either that or he was too dim to notice it, though Ozpin prayed it was the former.

His eyes narrowed as he felt a slight chill emanating from the teen before he frowned in concentration as the temperature returned to normal, he obviously possessed a unique ability and had worked at it to a considerable extent, but where he saw prowess, Ozpin also noticed potential for improvement, there was always room for fine tuning.

Oh yes, he would definitely do.

"So.." the boy started awkwardly , earning a 'hm?' from the professor "I'm really happy you let me in here and all, but you still haven't told me why. I mean, I haven't been in any tournaments or anything and I haven't even been to any combat schools" he looked down, unsure of himself.

"Even so. You have the ability to grow, Jaune, I see something in you, and not just your power, I see a young man that may just make an outstanding huntsman" Ozpin spoke confidently, earning a look of surprise from the hooded teen.

"To tell the truth, I have recently been scanning around a bit for promising huntsman and huntresses in training, there is another possible student I managed to track down, a young girl with a concerning affinity for the scythe...

I digress, there are hundreds of potential students for this academy everywhere you rest your eyes, however do you know why I picked this girl in particular?" he questioned the boy, waiting calmly for a response as the boy contemplated his answer.  
"You... like weaponized garden tools?" he returned honestly, to Ozpin's chagrin as he had hoped it was at least a joke.

"People come to this academy for an assortment of reasons, the variety too numerous to list in one meeting, some come for revenge, some for redemption, reward, love, the list goes on and on. That is why it is a rare surprise when you come across someone who simply wants to help people, to fight monsters, not with an ulterior motive, but because it is what they deem right. That is why I chose that girl"

The boy shifted uncomfortably as the professor observed skeptically, after a few seconds, the boy looked up to meet the professor's expectant eyes.  
"Well... the thing is... I'm not really here because of that" he confessed, earning a raised eyebrow from the professor before he quickly corrected himself.  
"I-I mean, I _do _want to help people, I do! But..." he looked off with a faraway expression, intriguing the professor further.

"The reason I'm here is because of someone, that person pretty much made me the person I am today, with them, I learned things, _did_ things I had dreamt of doing since I was a little kid, I got to go on crazy adventures with a friend, I actually saved someone... for once I felt like I could actually be worth something.

Without that person, I'd probably still be holed up back at my village, and they are why I want to become a huntsman" he smiled as he fondly recalled the events that transpired within the few days he had known that very important person.

"Well, that is also a valid reason, I'm sure they would be proud of you for making it here" Ozpin smiled, causing the boy to scratch his head bashfully  
"Yeah... hopefully she would" unaware of the information he had just let slip

"She?" Ozpin repeated with a smirk, startling the young boy as his cool composure was lost in an instant  
"W-What?" he squeaked, hoping he hadn't let that slip, though the expression on Ozpin's face told him he knew.  
"You said 'she', Mr Arc" he spoke teasingly, causing the boy's panic to rise higher.  
"Well I- I mean it's not really like I-"  
"It's perfectly fine, you know" the professor interrupted "it's only natural that you would receive influence from the opposite sex. She must be quite special to inspire you for so long"

The boy's expression changed as he suddenly looked a little sullen, casting his gaze downwards, concerning the professor with the change of demeanor  
"Yeah... only thing is, I don't really know if I'll ever see her again" he spoke with badly disguised grief as the professor attempted to renovate the mood.  
"Well, some things are simply meant to be lost and never recovered" Ozpin stated, before lifting his head with a small smile  
"However, bonds with others are not among them, your bond remains even in absence, it simply requires rekindling"

The student seemed to gain a little hope from that, sitting back in his chair with a nervous grin as the professor cleared his throat.  
"Now, I think it is time to move on to formalities, as per your circumstances, I have allowed you early residence in this academy, you may use this time to get acquainted with the school. Whilst not bothering the other students, of course.

Your fellow first years will be arriving within a few days, when they do, I hope you will use make use of your head-start in order to help those that may find the first day to be daunting, no?" following a quick nod from the teen, the professor continued.  
"In the meantime, you may also practice in the training grounds or perhaps begin early on the academic side by visiting the library. Your accommodation will have to wait until after initiation, though you may take this time to reserve a favorable spot in the main hall, if you wish"

Jaune refused the urge to sigh at the last suggestion before excusing himself and excusing himself, heading towards the doors before the professor called out  
"Jaune, that girl you mentioned, I know she was special, however you will meet many in this academy that can and will support you when you need it, learn to appreciate everyone you become acquainted with, you have friends all around you, remember?" Ozpin smiled, remembering the way Jaune saw strangers.

Jaune nodded once more, not entirely sure of the meaning behind the words as he headed out into the grandiose halls of Beacon Academy, leaving behind a satisfied grin on the professor's face as he took another sip from his mug before turning to the blinking screen to his left, drawing his attention towards the collection of faces populating it.

With a few strokes of his fingers, a picture of a white haired boy with dark blue eyes was added to the roster, taking it's place next to a smiling young girl with rosy cheeks and ginger hair and a regal looking girl with hair a similar shade to Jaune's yet styled into an asymmetric ponytail and a small scar upon her eye.  
Ozpin looked thoughtful for a second before saving the changes and returning to his beverage.

* * *

_"Nothing today either?" she asked, the silence that followed answering her question fully.  
__"I'm sorry miss, the snowstorms are making it difficult for the teams to fly there, when it calms down, we should be able to send a team down there" he tried to re assure her, unnerved by the fact that she didn't turn to face him_

_"No... I suppose it's unavoidable... has the research team made any progress?"_  
_The doctor frowned, shaking his head "I'm afraid not, they can't find anyone matching that description I'm afraid"_

_There was a small silence between the two as the girl simply sat staring blankly out the window of her bedroom, not saying anything but obviously deep in thought and without a word, the doctor left her room with a bow._

_"Honestly, why are you being so troublesome?" the girl spoke quietly, resting her head on her arm as she continued to gaze off into the wintry lands surrounding the area, observing the perfectly shaped flakes of white float daintily downwards past her window._

* * *

_The doctor sighed as he closed the doors to his office, setting his work for the day down on his desk before collapsing into his armchair._  
_With half-lidded eyes, he took a glance at his computer screen, not surprised to see that there were no updates from the search team, he supposed that was only natural, the assignment the girl had given him was not an easy one by any means._

_Completing it was a simple matter of asking the right people, the problem laid in the fact that word of his little mission couldn't reach the ears of the higher ups, and that alone raised the difficulty threefold._

_Only able to ask for things in a roundabout way, telling the search team they were looking for any young men with white hair, possibly calling themselves 'Jaune' as they may be a distant relative of the Schnee family was the only way to get them to the village, and he hadn't even planned on what he would do if they actually did manage to bring him back._

_Though it seemed like that was another matter entirely, the searches thus far had been unsuccessful to say the least, the harsh weather and ambiguity of the task was beginning to make the team question the validity of their orders._  
_If they happened to question someone connected to the higher ups about it then... the doctor shuddered at the thought, that would definitely not be good._

_Deciding to give the reports another look, he came across a file that had previously interested him. It was a missing person poster detailing the missing son of none other than the Arc family, with the name Jaune no less! Though upon closer inspection, the boy described was a blond, rather normal,weedy young teen, not the vigilant ice caster the heiress had told him about._

_With a sigh, the doctor leaned back in his chair, the image of the lonesome heiress sitting at her window still pained him, he desperately wanted to help her in her search, but the way things were going, there was a possibility that she might not see him again, was it really okay to let her hang onto false hope?_  
_The doctor exhaled deeply once more, closing his laptop and retiring for the night._  
_'It may be impossible after all'  
_

* * *

"Miss Schnee, the aircraft is prepared, are you ready?" Weiss was broken from her train of thought as she turned to face the attendant  
"Yes, thank you, I will need just a minute" she responded politely, the attendant nodded before looking around her room curiously  
"Is your father not here to see you off?" she asked innocently, not noticing the slight change of expression on the girl's face as her eyes tilted downwards.

"Oh, he is very busy today, so he can't make it, I'm afraid" she spoke in the same tone, trying to ignore the look of pity she was receiving from the attendant before she skirted off to her other duties.

Clearing her mind, Weiss looked over to her bed, picking up her trusty rapier and securing her jacket before turning towards the mirror. Today was the day she would finally enter into her selected academy, there was no room for error, she was representing the Schnee family after all.  
She reflexively turned her head so that her scar was less visible, such a blemish was unbecoming of an heiress like herself, confident that she was prepared, she stepped out of her room and made her way down to the front entrance, taking last glances at the decor she would likely not see again for quite a while.

Part of her was glad to finally be leaving, the stiff and proper etiquette one had to follow at all times was not something she would miss, though she did find herself quite fond of the doilies and such, she had always longed for something more, outside of the duty of an heiress, her own journey.  
Smiling at the thought, she came to the large double doors that led to freedom, noticing a familiar figure standing in front of them.

"It's finally time, then?" the doctor asked with joy in his eyes, Weiss nodded with a small smile.  
"Yes, I will see you when I get back, I presume?" she asked, earning an uncomfortable look from the man before he responded  
"I hope so" stepping back, he looked her up and down "You really have grown, you look like a fully fledged huntress already" he grinned as the heiress nodded respectfully, pushing open the doors and seeing the airship in the courtyard waiting for her.

"Weiss!" he called out as the heiress turned round in surprise at the lack of formality  
"I... I'm sorry we couldn't find him" the heiress' smile vanished temporarily as she turned away from the doctor.

"It's not your fault" she spoke softly before setting off once again, leaving the doctor to watch her go, not willing to say anything more, knowing he'd only make it worse.

He looked up with a small smile as he saw the girl board the craft and as soon as she was out of sight, the craft lifted into the air, disappearing off into the distance.

* * *

Jaune grunted as he swung his blade downwards, slicing through the training dummy before channeling his power into his left fist, covering it in frost once more before propelling it towards the second dummy on the right, sending it flying backwards into the wall with a resounding crack.  
With two down, he turned towards the third, positioned a few paces away holding a large wooden shield.

Holding up his free arm, he channeled his his power into a specific part of his palm before thrusting forwards, sending a spike projectile of ice hurling towards the dummy, breaking through the flimsy shield and impaling itself into its midsection.  
Allowing himself a moment of triumph, Jaune held his fist in the air with a prideful expression.

His eyes widened as he heard a small clap sounding from a bench next to the grounds, he turned to see a girl sitting, clapping cheerfully from the sidelines. She wasn't wearing a Beacon uniform like the rest of the students, instead she was clad in a set of light armor that seemed to resemble a spartan, though to Jaune her most defining features were her vibrant red hair and bright green eyes.

"Uh, hey, did you happen to, uh-" Jaune started with a small blush at having been caught as he approached her  
"Your victory pose? I though it looked quite valiant" she spoke in an honest, friendly tone "I especially liked the way you fought, your sword didn't look like the dust using type so I was a little surprised when ice started to come out of nowhere"

Jaune chuckled "Yeah, except it's not exactly the sword that does it" she looked confused at his answer as he took a seat beside her.  
"What do you mean?" she asked curiously, intrigued by the source of the suddenly appearing element.  
"I don't really mind telling you, but it's a little... unusual" this time it was the girl's turn to chuckle as she patted him on the shoulder,  
"I like unusual!" she insisted

Jaune smiled at the act before lifting his palm, getting the girl's attention.  
"You know how dust has a lot of uses, right?" with a nod from the girl, he continued  
"most use it as ammo or additions for their weapons, though in my case it's a bit different"  
On cue, a small collection of ice began to build up on his palm, forming into the shape of a small crystal that gleamed in the sunlight.

Jaune suppressed a small laugh at the look of amazement on the girl's face before she looked up to him excitedly  
"That is truly incredible!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm as she picked up the crystal, holding it up and inspecting it closely.  
"You really have a talent"

Jaune scratched his head bashfully "Small things like this are easy, but I still struggle with anything flashy"  
His words only served to interest the girl further as she turned to him with zest  
"Flashier? Like what?" she asked, taken aback by the mention of something even more amazing  
"Oh, it's really not that great..." he tried to calm the girl when his eyes flashed with realization.

"Actually... there _is _something you could help me with, if you want"  
"Of course! What is it?" The girl beamed eagerly.  
Jaune's eyes narrowed slightly, was it normal to be this nonchalant?

"I've been working on a new move to do with my power and I was wondering if you could help me practice it"  
The girl got up with excitement "That sounds interesting, what kind of move?"  
Happy to be able to finally show someone what he could do, Jaune got up and moved to the training grounds once more with the girl in tow  
"Stand here for a minute" he said to the red-head before taking his position a few paces apart from her.

"I've been working on different ways to get past an enemy's defense using my power and I think I've come up with something that may just work" he smiled with determination as he lowered himself, ready to charge at the girl.  
"Could you take a defensive stance for me?"

The girl nodded, unsure of what was next "Are you sure you shouldn't practice on a dummy first?"  
"Trust me, I've had my share of fierce red heads" he laughed, though the girl was still unconvinced she got into her regular stance.  
"Alright, here goes!"

As he set off, the huntress watched him intently, he started off by simply charging at her with no apparent tactic or hidden motive, his hand rested above his hilt though he didn't equip his sword yet as he continued to close their distance.  
Raising her shield, he girl was prepared to let whatever attack he would unleash bounce harmlessly off it as they moved within reaching distance.  
Her eyes widened however when the boy's stance completely changed, getting lower down and raising his arms.  
Then he disappeared completely.

Sensing danger behind her, she instinctively raised her spear to block the blade that had nearly connected with the back of her legs.  
Without her noticing it, Jaune had somehow went from right in front of her to her back almost instantaneously.  
How was that even possible?

Retracting his sword, Jaune stood up and laughed triumphantly  
"It actually worked! I mean, sure it was blocked and rendered relatively useless but it still worked!"  
The girl was, for the first time in a long while, genuinely at a loss for words.  
"Thanks a lot, uh...?" Jaune stopped, realizing that he had no idea what to call her.

"Uh, sorry, what was your name again?" he asked, not earning a response from the girl as she looked him up and down for any tool or trick he may have used to pull that kind of stunt off."Well erm..." the boy spoke, growing more nervous by the second.

Observing her also, he tried to come up with a suitable name for her, something incredibly original with both ingenuity and style to it. Taking note of the fierce color of her hair, he decided.  
"I guess I'll call you 'Flame-Girl', if that's okay?" at that, the girl seemed to be broken from her stupor as she looked up to the boy.  
"And you can call me Jaune, Jaune Arc" he held out his arm with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Jaune" she reciprocated, taking his hand with a gleeful expression, whilst not exactly impressed with his naming sense, she was happy anyway, never having been given a nickname before.

Holstering his weapon, Jaune turned to the girl.  
"So, you wanna go pick a spot on the floor of the main hall with me?" he asked, confusing the girl, though she nodded nonetheless.

"Wait, before we go" 'Flame-Girl' pulled him back, still yearning for an answer  
"What did you do back there? I've never seen anything like it" it was rare for her to be taken by surprise by an opponent, let alone a fellow student.  
The boy seemed to ponder his answer first, before looking back to her "I'll tell you..."  
She leaned in with clear anticipation, preparing herself for the explanation  
"...at some point. Not today though, I'm a little tired" he yawned.

The girl couldn't help but sigh in exasperation as the boy turned away, beginning to head off towards the main building  
She took one last look towards the training grounds, peering closer when she saw something curious, it looked like two small trails of... _ice._  
They were just beside where she had stood and seemed to curve round to behind where she was.  
Had he somehow used his power to get past her?

She considered the fact that she may have just got acquainted with a very promising huntsman, one that could reach above the levels other students couldn't attain by purely relying on their weapons. Managing to get past the defenses of a three time regional tournament winner with just one move, she couldn't deny the possibility that she might have just stumbled upon an upcoming prodigy of the next generation of huntsman and huntresses.

"Uh Flame-Girl? Which way is the hall again?" The 'Prodigy' called out helplessly as the girl's expression of wonder faltered slightly.

Or perhaps not...


	7. Initial Snowfall

**A little late birthday present... though now that I think about it, I should be the one receiving, not giving. Ah well, please enjoy the chapter and leave a review if you'd like!**

**EDIT: Oh my god, I have just recently learned of the tragic death of one of the greatest inspirations for many on this site, including me, Monty Oum.  
I did not, or did not want to believe it when I first read it but it is true.**

**I am shocked and saddened by this news, as are the millions that appreciate his work and him himself. My thoughts go to his family and his friends at Rooster Teeth, but also to the community who I am sure, like me, feel like they have just lost someone very close to their hearts.**

**I will continue this story in honor of the great man and I pray that I do his work justice**

**May he rest in peace**

* * *

Jaune sighed with content as he flipped another page of the comic, taken in by the vivid illustrations depicting a young teenage boy with a black hoodie facing off against hundreds of men in black to defend the princess being pursued, somewhere in the back of his mind he felt a sense of deja vu but dismissed it as he continued to enjoy the light novel, happy to enjoy some free time to himself.

The 'Flame Girl' seemed pretty nice and they got along reasonably well but he still liked a little time alone, it was a habit he had probably picked up over the last few years, moving from place to place, never really making contact with anyone. That was, of course, up until that day...

* * *

_There was a soft jingle as he swung the lodge door open, heading over to the counter, confident that he had grown quite talented at the art of attracting attention as he greeted the employee._

_"A room for one, please" he spoke, just loud enough so that the woman could hear him. She inspected him curiously for a moment before quickly tapping her fingers on the keyboard beside her._

_"Hm..." she frowned at the monitor before looking up to the teen "I'm sorry, the only room available is a shared room for two, would that be okay?"_  
_Jaune looked contemplative for a second as he considered trying someplace else before reasoning that this was a fair ways away from the village, wondering if a little company once in a while would be good for him._

_Taking his key and heading to the room marker '15', Jaune lightly rapped upon the wooden door, not wanting to intrude upon his roommate in case he was in the middle of something private, what activities one could get up to in such a remote lodge was something he did not let himself consider as he waited patiently._

_After a few seconds of silence, he felt confident that it was safe and entered his key, opening the door to reveal a small living room with a glowing fireplace, wide-screen television and a very inviting looking couch that he resisted the urge to collapse upon._

_With a lengthy sigh, he turned to see the entrance to what seemed to be one of the bedrooms next to a small kitchen area, dragging his luggage with him, he made his way inside, throwing the suitcase to the side of the darkened room before finally allowing himself to fall onto the bed, not looking or caring at what was on top of it._

_A small smile graced his features as he allowed the comfort to take over him, along with the heavenly smell of clean blankets, cologne and the little bowl of potpourri ... wait, cologne?! _

_"Well hello there, young man"_

_Jaune's eyes shot open as he slowly tilted his head upwards, now facing the formally dressed man that he now lay upon, his mind slowly registering what was occurring before he leaped into action._

_"AH! SORRY!" he exclaimed as he immediately removed himself from the odd position, now standing awkwardly to the side as he prayed that the man wasn't that displeased at the young boy who had barged into his room and tackled him onto the bed... he conceded that the odds were not in his favor._

_To his surprise and slight suspicion, the man simply chuckled before sitting up as Jaune got a better look at him. He was fairly older than him, dressed in a dark green suit and a pair of brown tinted spectacles framing his face which now sported a small smile as he seemed to inspect his intruder with a keen eye._

_"It's perfectly alright, you must have been travelling for a long time" he spoke calmly, taking a glance at the bulky load the boy had dropped at the side of the room "On a journey?" he inquired, fixing Jaune with a quizzical stare that the boy found hard to avoid._  
_  
Jaune pulled his hood a little further down as he coughed nervously_  
_"Yeah... something like that" he uttered, not quite convincing the man as he inspected him closer, looking thoughtful._  
_He was sure he had seen this boy's face somewhere before._

_On the trip here? No, he had arrived much earlier, had they shared transportation? From the looks of him, the chances of him being able to afford it were slim at best._  
_He had a sudden flash of memory as he recalled walking down the near deserted streets, he hadn't seen him walking around, surely. _  
_  
Then he remembered the poster he had seen stapled to several posts on his right._

_"So, uh, are you my roommate?" Jaune teen asked timidly, more than a little unnerved by the silent observation he was receiving._  
_"Hm?" The man was broken from his stupor as he looked back to the expectant teen_  
_"Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy. And you?" he responded politely, not allowing himself a chuckle at the look he was getting from the gob-smacked boy._

_Jaune mentally slapped himself, his first company in months and it's the headmaster of one of the most prestigious academies in Vale... and he had ended up straddling him within a minute of meeting him._

_Regaining his composure, he prepared to give his pre-prepared name "My name's-"_  
_"-Jaune Arc?"_  
_"Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it!"_

_A few moments passed before Jaune's eyes widened in realization as he turned to the professor who sat legs-crossed with a satisfied smile._  
_"Now now, Jaune, there is no need to be so alarmed, however, there are a few things I'd like to ask of you"_  
_The teen, still in shock, nodded wordlessly as the professor continued._

_"Why did the room temperature drop to below freezing just now?"_

* * *

Jaune smiled at the memory, remembering the abnormal first encounter that seemed like it was only yesterday, closing his comic, he set it down on the table before getting up, deciding to try to seek out 'Flame Girl' for some light training. Only making it half-way out the door before he was stopped by a sudden squeal of excitement.

"I knew it! I just knew it!" came a high pitched voice before his arm was suddenly engulfed with a monster strength grip as he was yanked backwards before being presented to a boy around his age with light pink eyes and long black hair, styled into a ponytail and sporting a small highlight matching his irises.  
"I told you he was real!" Jaune turned his head to see his red headed captor holding him like a trophy with a look of excitement in her aqua marine orbs.

"Nora, personal space, remember?" the taller boy scolded, sending Jaune an apologetic look as the girl dropped him to his feet, suddenly circling him rapidly, checking his every detail, much to Jaune's confusion.

"Yup! There's no doubt about it, Ren, it's him!" she confirmed cheerfully before holding both arms out towards her prized discovery "It's Snow-Boy!"  
Jaune's bewilderment only grew as he recalled the name. The hero of the comic book?

Her friend shook his head with a sigh as he took the girl gently by the shoulders, halting the energetic girl from violating the poor teen further  
"Nora, that's a fictional character. Just because he looks like him, doesn't make him real. People generally don't use dust for those kinds of things anymore, anyway"  
Jaune let out a nervous laugh "H-heh, yeah"

Turning back to the victim of the onslaught of curiosity, the taller boy greeted Jaune politely  
"Sorry about her, she doesn't really mean any harm. Lie Ren"  
"Aand IIII'm Nora!" the girl announced with glee as Jaune smiled, happy to reciprocate.

"Jaune, Jaune Arc, no 'Snow Boy' here" he introduced, only half right.  
Suddenly realizing something, he addressed the boy, expecting a more conclusive response than from the bubbly barbarian to his right.  
"Where did you two come from, exactly?"

"We just arrived along with the some of the other huntsman and huntresses from several areas, you should get used to seeing new faces around the campus from now on" he informed Jaune, who smacked his forehead in annoyance.  
"Argh! I was meant to help out with that! Sorry, Ren, Nora, gotta go!" without a reply, he dashed out of the library, leaving the two to resume their antics of Nora getting excited with everything she sees and Ren telling her not to touch any of it as they continued to tour the school.

* * *

Airships, airships, where were the airships? The Arc searched hurriedly down the halls, now thinking that he should have paid more attention during the tour.  
If Ozpin found out he'd been lounging in the library instead of helping the first years it wouldn't be a pretty sight, as calm as he was, no man can take in _that _much caffeine and not be a little crazy.

Lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice where he was headed as just as quick as he had came upon the main entrance, he barreled right into a group of first years. With two large thuds and the clattering of metal, Jaune opened his eyes, only to squint as light was reflected into them, bouncing off of what seemed to be a large mace.

"Watch it, moron!" growled the much bigger teen as he got to his feet, sending a death-glare to the snickering boys behind him.  
"Urgh.." Jaune groaned, holding his head as he attempted to sit up. "Did I get hit by a boarbatusk?" he mused, his head still spinning.  
"What'd you say, pipsqueak?" came the dark tone of the boy standing above him, Jaune gulped as he lent down to pick up his malicious looking weapon of choice.

"Uh... well you see, what I _meant _to say was- oh look at the time, gotta go!" Jaune attempted to stumble off, not particularly wanting to take on the brute, only to be stopped as he was pulled back by the hood, causing it to fall down, revealing his ice cold features.

"Woah woah woah, what's with the ghost?" he jeered, taking note of the boy's skin tone, irking the teen as he tried to resist his urge to freeze the boy's arm right there and then. Smiling slightly as he imagined it, not going unnoticed by the brute.

"What're you smiling at?" Jaune raised his head, fixing his gaze upon the larger teen, suddenly considering his options.

Sure, before he probably wouldn't have stood a chance against someone like this, he'd be better off giving up or caving in, but now was different. Now he could stand up for himself!  
With a fierce look in his eyes, he prepared to show the teen just who was the weakling around-

_"HEY! HANDS OFF THE WEAKLING!"_ Came the ferocious roar that caused all eyes to turn towards the source, not quite believing it had originated from the young, buxom blonde girl standing before them with her arms crossed.

"Didn't you hear me?" she yelled, taking a threatening step forward as the larger teen chuckled nervously  
"H-Hah, we're not scared of you, so back off!" he barked, causing the other boys to look at him in horror as the girl gained a dangerous glint in her eye.  
Meanwhile Jaune stood where he was, still held by the hood with a confused expression.

"Oh?" The girl spoke darkly, unnerving all present before there was a deafening crack as her fist collided with the larger boy's chest-plate, sending him flying backwards, tumbling into the three boys behind him.

"Strrrrrrrrike!" The girl exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air victoriously, Jaune simply looked on with wide eyes at the awe inspiring and slightly frightening display of pure power. Looking round at him, the girl placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, you're safe now, citizen!" she spoke heroically as Jaune simply nodded slowly, unsure of what to make of the current events.  
"Though if those guys ever bother you again, you know who to go to!" she stated proudly, giving him a reassuring pat before stepping back with a grin.  
"Right... uh, who would that be again?" he addressed her for the first time, curious about the identity of the spontaneous savior from out of nowhere.

"Oh! I'm Yang, I'm gonna become a huntress here, what about you? Visiting someone?" she asked cheerfully, causing Jaune's eye to twitch ever so slightly before clearing his throat.

"Uh no, I'm going to study here too, see?" He said, pointing to the sword strapped to his waist as the girl nodded  
"Ohh, well I guess we do come in all shapes and sizes!" she proclaimed as Jaune's eyes narrowed slightly,  
not really wanting to know what she mean by that.

Remembering why he was there, Jaune gave a quick wave to the blond before setting off again, the airships now in sight.  
He didn't look hopeful, it looked like most were off already and besides, what good would he be anyway? He barely managed to find his way _here_.

Seeing a crowd make their way over, he took his position in the middle of the path and attempted to look responsible.  
"Hey! I'm Jaune, and I'm here to-" he was met with no response as the excited teenagers barged past him, elated that they had finally made it to the academy.  
"Uh-umph, if uh any of you are lost-" Jaune attempted to offer fruitlessly as he was shoved out of the way by yet another blur as it sped off towards the gates.  
"Whoa- hey! Watch it-" he spluttered as he was knocked to the sidet of the way of the excitable herd as they carried on, disregarding the hooded boy attempting to guide them.

Picking himself up, he placed his hand on his hips and frowned, was there not at least one innocent first year, calling out from outside the crowd, absolutely helpless and in desperate need of a helping hand?

Allowing his eyes to wander, he managed to make out a small figure laying disheveled upon the floor near the fountain with its arms sprawled hopelessly across the stone floor. Jaune smiled inwardly, bingo!

Making his way over, he extended a hand towards the figure, now revealed to be a young girl clad in a black and red combat skirt and lengthy, similarly colored cape reaching down to her knees. Well, if anyone was in need of aid...

"Hey, need some responsible guidance?" he offered with a cheesy grin, causing the girl's eyelids to flutter open, revealing gleaming silver eyes that stared back up at him.  
"What?" She asked, confused at the odd greeting as the boy fought down an embarrassed blush, deciding to try again.  
"Uh, I'm Jaune" he spoke with a small smile, causing the smaller girl to let out a giggle as she took his hand, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet.  
"Ruby"

Jaune grinned at the girl, happy that he had somewhat followed Ozpin's orders when he noticed an oddly shaped contraption on the girl's back.  
"Um, is that a fancy lunchbox?" she looked confused before realizing what he was talking about and reaching behind her, removing the light red device before presenting it proudly to the curious boy.

"This is no lunchbox, it's my sweetheart!" she exclaimed, not enlightening the teen one bit as he continued to look bewildered as Ruby sighed  
"Fine, look" with that, she pulled it back as the a mechanical whir sounded, Jaune looked on in amazement as the contraption unfolded to reveal a large hybrid between a sniper rifle and what appeared to be an over sized scythe.

Thinking back to his talk with Ozpin, he looked thoughtfully at the young girl smiling ear to ear. So _this _was the other student he was talking about..

"Pretty cool" he mused, concealing his inner awe, looking mildly impressed as the girl stood proudly before returning it to it's much smaller, compact size,placing it back on her back and turning back to him with a curious glint in her eye.

"What about you? I mean that's not just for decoration right?" Jaune refused the urge to sigh as he was once more not recognized as a huntsman, though he supposed with his odd appearance it was anyone's guess what kind of guy he was.  
"Well, yeah. It's pretty basic though, just a hand-me-down" he muttered, not bothering to take it out as the girl pouted  
"Hey, you gotta appreciate the classics! Though it's a bit weird seeing one here..."

Jaune scoffed "Oh yeah? And laying down on the floor like a sloth on the first day of school is perfectly normal then?"  
Ruby gave him a small scowl, though on her face it wasn't as threatening as she might have liked "That wasn't my fault!...Kinda" Jaune raised an eyebrow at her uncertain answer "It's not my fault the princess just had to be pushing her stupid carts around where I was walking..." she muttered, causing something to stir inside of Jaune as he picked up on what the little girl in red had just said.

"Wait, princess?" he asked, a member of royalty enrolling at a school intended to train to become warriors would sound out of place to anyone, but that wasn't the reason why it piqued his interest.

"Weird right?! She was all high and mighty with her pretty ponytail and little tiara and she was really mean and I was just trying to apologize, then I _exploded _and then the girl in the bow showed up and then-"  
"Woah, hey, hey" Jaune frantically waved his arms in front of the girl in an effort to silence the rambling that was growing more and more incomprehensible by the second.

"Could you back it up a little, I'm lost" he pleaded, causing the girl to take a deep breath before looking back to him  
"The girl with the bow came up to us and gave her a well deserved talking to! She was nice, but kinda quiet, the yellow eyes were cool though!"  
"So..." Jaune tried to gather his thoughts "This girl, was she about yeigh big?" he held out his hand just below his shoulders, earning a nod from the girl in red.

"Was she kinda sly and mysterious?" he asked, earning yet another nod from Ruby as a picture started to form in his head.  
"Was she wearing black and white?" With one more nod, he was certain.

"Well, I think I may know just who-"  
"Oh my god"  
Hearing surprise in her usual monotone, Jaune turned to see the very girl that had just entered his mind, albeit a bit taller, drop her book upon realizing just who the hooded boy was.

"You..." she started quietly, taking a step back defensively with a wary look as Jaune looked on in shock, he had never expected to see her again, especially not here. Ruby simply looked confused at the sudden tension that had arisen  
"Uhh do you two know each other or something?" she looked between the two, none the wiser to the fact that the last time the two had met was there little encounter in the woods that involved him taking out half of the trees in the area.  
"You could say that" she spoke, lowering herself towards the ground, not taking her eyes off of the white haired teen.

Recovering from the temporary stun, the gears in Jaune's head continued to turn as he recalled what else Ruby had said.  
A high and mighty princess-looking girl with a tiara and pretty ponytail...  
As much as the logical side of him would like to dismiss it in order to avoid false hope, he just couldn't help but feel that there was a small chance that it may be exactly what he was thinking.

Just as he was pondering that, a sudden hush came across the trio as the sound of footsteps coming to an untimely halt caused the three of them to turn simultaneously to see a sight Jaune had to blink twice to prove to himself that he wasn't imagining.

"Uh... hey there"

Following that simple greeting was an agonizing silence that if Jaune had to wager, lasted approximately several hours as the girl in white, with her pristine hair tied into an asymmetric ponytail, clad in a light blue jacket with red lining and a similarly colored combat skirt that gave off a strong, yet refined vibe as a gleaming silver rapier hung elegantly from her waist. The thing the boy found himself focusing on, however, were the icy blue orbs that stared directly back at him, not breaking contact.

After a considerably agonizing period of time, the heiress's gaze turned downwards as her head tilted forward, causing the boy to feel a sudden sense of serious concern as he did not know what he would do in case the water works made an appearance.

"Hey, uh Weiss, it's really good to see you-"  
"'_hey there'? _That's the first thing you say?! Two years of never finding you, never hearing your voice or even knowing you were alive, worrying that I might not ever see you again, then on the first day of the next part of my life, after I had finally given up, you re-appear and the first thing you say to me is 'hey there'?!"

The fury that was present in the heiress's glare when here eyes rose to meet his was something that would send an entire army of beowulfs running and give the average hooded teen nightmares for several weeks to come.

Beginning to sweat a little from the pressure, Jaune attempted to take a step away from the fierce gaze that seemed to threaten his very existence as he just about managed to choke out a reply

"A-ah erm, hey there...Snow Angel?"

* * *

"All the airships are now on the return flight, the students should all be heading towards the main hall now, professor" Glynda informed, earning no more than a 'hm' from the flippant professor, to her it seemed that the wordy, charismatic side of him was exclusive to times when he wanted something from a student or what he called 'gentle encouragement'. Not that she was complaining, it had proven to be very effective lately.

Without a word, Ozpin filled his ever present mug to the brim yet again and headed over to his window, looking out at the wide variety of students that were about to take their place within the halls of Beacon Academy. So much potential to put to better use, it brought a smile to his lips as he looked forward to the events of the school year

"Professor Ozpin, if I may, are you not concerned about the possible ramifications for letting someone with such an untested semblance into our midst, right now, support for the White Fang is growing, non organic combat units are on the rise and who knows what's occurring on the streets. Is it really best to take risks that may affect our reputation?"

She did not receive an answer immediately as the professor continued to look out upon the school grounds that belonged to him.  
Without turning back, he responded  
"Is the security of our social status really that vital that we are to turn away such promising talent?  
Look out there, can't you see?"  
Taking a closer look, Glynda saw them, groups of young men and women about to take the next step towards becoming who they were destined to become.  
Satisfied she understood, Ozpin continued  
_  
"They _are organic warriors, they all fight for a cause, and they all are carried along by their own strength and will. They are not programmed, they make their own decisions and create their own paths, and we are here to help them achieve what they seek to achieve, nothing more and nothing less. We can not allow such trivial things such as our reputation to stand in their way"

With that, he turned and began to head for the doorway, prompting Glynda to pick up her tablet from the desk and turn to follow  
"I just hope they are not too taken away by their wild ambitions that they forget about their education" she mused to herself

Just as the words left her lips, there was a distant bang followed by a girly shriek as the pair turned back toward the window to see one of the so-called 'warriors' with snow white hair flapping through the wind as he was sent hurling from the front gates, flying off towards the library, flailing helplessly as he spiraled uncontrollably through the air, the echo of his less than manly cry followed by a resounding crash as he exited from view.

Ozpin smirked once more before heading out of the door, followed by an aggravated Glynda placing two fingers to her forehead in annoyance.  
Thus marked the start of a new school year at Beacon Academy.


	8. The Cold Shoulder

Jaune inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly, steeling his confidence once more as he gingerly lifted his head, turning towards the pure white ponytail on the other side of the auditorium. This was his third attempt, the other two ended... less than successfully.. but he was certain this time he was to prevail, yes, he was going to do this, there was no doubt in his mind!

He raised his hand and gave a small wave, gaining the heiress's attention as she temporarily met his gaze.  
He sent her a small, charming smile that was sure to win her over. Without fail.

She simply narrowed her eyes, sending chills reverberating through his every limb as he was forced to avert his eyes before he was turned to ice... again.

As it turned out, one Weiss Schnee was not exactly overcome by the nostalgia and glee that comes with seeing an age old friend, instead he had received nothing but frosty glares and cold shoulders, not to mention the little sky launch he had suffered just 10 minutes earlier.

Jaune grimaced as he recalled the events following their short lived reunion

* * *

_'Ugh..' Jaune rubbed his scalp as bits and pieces of rubble fell from his dirtied locks onto the ground of the library, luckily he had managed to cushion his fall by forming a small layer of snow beneath him from the moisture in the air but the impact still made his head spin as he tried to remember what had lead him to these questionable circumstances._

_He had been rushing to the school gate, he found a little girl in red, then he saw that faunus girl he had run into a while back. He hoped past events would not repeat themselves and that she had hopefully grown out of her 'ambush in the forest' ways. Then of course she came, the girl in white, the heiress herself, Weiss Schnee._

_Weiss Schnee... Jaune rolled onto his side with a sigh_  
_Fancy meeting her here, huh? What were the chances?_

_It didn't seem like she was over the moon at meeting him, he thought back to her words "Two years of never finding you... worrying that I might not ever see you again"_  
_Jaune's expression tuned slightly guilty, she had been looking for him, had she? He supposed that in those two years, he could have made more of an effort to locate his temporary partner in arms, it was not like he didn't want to see her again, his mind was just... otherwise occupied._

_Maybe the universe was telling him something, just maybe something out there wanted us to stick around each other, he chuckled at the thought but couldn't quite dismiss it. Well, whether destiny, an act of God or simple coincidence, he was not just going to let this opportunity pass him up, he'd make amends and then re unite with his old companion, for better or worse!_

_He clenched his fist with determination, brimming with fresh resolve, his eyes sparkling brightly!  
"Ah-hem" broken from his stupor, he turned to see a rather displeased looking librarian scowling down at him and the tattered books that lay scattered around him._  
_"Would you mind not lounging on our literature?" she fixed him with a glare as he blushed in embarrassment, picking himself up and offering a bashful apology.  
Next time he'd use the door, still that was pretty close, maybe the school should encourage landing strategies..._

* * *

_For better or worse..._ That's easy to say, but...  
The heiress disappeared once more did not turn his way as she was lost in the crowd standing impatiently before the stage of the auditorium, paying no mind to the hooded teen waving madly behind her.  
This was going to be harder than he thought, he mused placing his fingers to his chin as he contemplated just how to break the barrier between him and the Ice Queen.

"Jaune, I'm glad I found you!" Turning to the cheerful call, he spotted the familiar red head making her way over to him with a slight spring in her step as his expression softened.

"Hey there, Flame-Girl" he greeted, grateful for the company of a female that wouldn't end up with him being sky-rocketed or mentally fatigued as the trend seemed to follow as she took a place next to him.

"I haven't seen you for a while, what have you been up to?" she asked innocently as Jaune rubbed the back of his head nervously, unsure of how he would relay the tale of his meeting with the spunky and serious duo, the rescue from the buxom blonde, the damsel in red and his untimely reunion with the ex-(hopefully) White Fang member and Schnee heiress that were all compressed into the small span of 10 minutes.

"Nothing much" he answered simply, opting out of the hour long Q and A that would follow filling in the oblivious red head beside him.  
Luckily, she seemed satisfied with that answer as she nodded gleefully before remaining silent as Jaune let out the breath he'd been holding, grateful that Flame-Girl was far too happy go lucky to be suspicious of him.

As the rest of the hall filled up, Jaune managed to pick out a little bob of red positioned next to the considerably larger blonde he had met earlier, did the two know each other?  
Then, as fate would deem it, there she was again. Her appearance causing the little red to jump into the bigger girl's arms, Weiss was once again brandishing her world renowned ice cold glare.  
Deciding to investigate, he politely excused himself from the Flame Girl and attempted to sift through the crowd, slowly making his way over to the trio, noticing the conversation somehow evolving into Weiss shoving a brochure into the young red's face and delivering pre-rehearsed instructions at Mach 20 speed.

Finally finding himself relatively near the trio, he opted to wait a while and listen intently, hanging onto the slim chance that they would somehow end up on the topic of Weiss's current mental state and her possible re-consideration of her attitude towards her good old pal Jaune... the odds were slim, he had to admit.

"Hello Weiss, I'm Ruby, wanna hang out? We could go shopping for school supplies!" Ruby suggested desperately as Jaune put a hand to his heart, feeling a sense of comradeship in their shared effort to befriend the Ice Queen. _'Fight on, little red!'_

"Oh yeah, and we could paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys like-" She turned in his direction to be faced with Jaune standing there in a model-like pose, presenting what appeared to be a bouquet made completely out of ice as he flashed a boyish grin.  
"Tall, frosty and charming?"

Staring blankly for a few seconds, she showed no reaction before turning her back to him "Forget the last part"  
"Wow, really!" Ruby asked, not taking notice as the 'frosty gentleman' fell to his knees in defeat.  
Weiss fixed her with a scrutinizing glare, just why was everybody so desperate for her friendship?! "...No"

* * *

Following a rather unnerving speech from their ever mysterious headmaster, the large ensemble of budding huntsman and huntresses dispersed into their respective corners of the hall, Jaune deciding to find the spot he had reserved along with the Flame Girl. All the while feeling slightly uncomfortable as tan and muscly teens flexed every inch of themselves in full view of the huntresses, earning multiple second looks.

Jaune instead opted to keep his normal attire on for as long as possible as if he went bare chest, the bright pigment of his skin was bound to attract unwanted attention, and quite possibly blind someone if the light caught him right.

Just as he was heading towards the vibrant red ponytail he had spotted from across the room, he noticed a familiar face sitting against the wall adjacent to him, the girl in the big black bow sat, her eyes never straying from the novel placed on her lap, illuminated by the flickering candle beside her.  
Feeling audacious, he took a seat next to her, sitting cross-legged with a cheesy grin, earning a look of suspicion from the girl as she eyed him momentarily before flicking another page.

"So... I'm Jaune" he offered his arm, earning a confused look from the silent huntress which made him feel slightly self conscious  
"U-Um, it's just I don't think we ever actually introduced each other before" _...back when you were supposed to assassinate me in a dark forest _he decided not to add.  
"Blake" she muttered, not meeting his gaze as Jaune struggled to keep up what could only barely pass as a conversation

"So, uh Blake we might have not gotten off to the _best _start but I think it would be nice if you and I-"  
"Why?" she interrupted, stopping the boy mid-sentence as she finally met his eyes, though they were narrowed and obviously very skeptical of the hooded teen that were clearly reflected in them.

"Erm, why what?" he asked innocently, not quite adjusting to the seriousness of her tone.  
"Why haven't you reported me?" she spoke in a low tone, obviously to avoid any chance of an eavesdrop.

Jaune thought about that, he was fully aware that the girl sat casually in front of him was or is a member of a notorious terrorist group of faunus that utilize violence and fear in order to achieve their goals, and to boot he had been one of her targets, only escaping because of the after effects of a whimsical idea involving a briefcase full of light blue dust.

Any logical person would have her reported to the authorities at once in case she decided to finish what she had started, yet Jaune felt no inclination to do anything of the sort, after a few seconds pondering why, he came across a reason that he felt truly explained it, among many other recent events.

"Well, I'm kind of dumb" he stated plainly, earning a look of surprise from the bookish girl who wondered whether or not he was joking, finding no obvious humor in it.  
"Well I must be, mustn't I? A girl tries to impale me with a katana blade and I try to become her friend because she seems like she's really a nice person, not exactly grade A logic there, is it?" he chuckled to himself, conscious of the very odd look he was receiving from the presumed faunus beside him.

"You know, you're a little strange" she spoke honestly, but with a tinge of amusement in her tone  
"But I'll trust you, for now" Jaune cracked a little smile. Definitely Ex member...

Saying a quick goodnight to his new friend, Jaune set off once again, catching sight of the buxom blonde once again dragging her redhead companion over towards Blake as he wished her good luck with the dynamic duo before turning and locating the Flame Girl mid conversation with the pair he had met with in the library.  
The spartan was too enthused to learn about the ginger girl's unlikely friendship with a lonely nevermore that the older boy insisted was a lie to notice Jaune approaching.

Opting not to interrupt them, Jaune rummaged through his belongings, hoping to find suitable articles of clothing to wear for the night, his hands freezing when he came upon his nightwear.

Jaune sat slack jawed as he lifted the light blue one piece he had discovered among his things, regretting not paying more attention to what he took when he packed this bag before leaving. Well... it would definitely keep him covered up, what other choice did he have?

* * *

Weiss huffed as she sat down by her neatly laid out bedding, thankfully separated far away from the head splitting antics of the collection of girls she couldn't help but constantly encounter during her time at Beacon. Ever since coming to this place, it was as if she couldn't go one minute without something abnormal coming out of nowhere and messing up her day!  
She sighed, laying herself down and closing her eyes, looking peaceful, however it was much the opposite.

She hadn't quite recovered from the shock she had suffered at the hands of the arctic acquaintance she had come face to face with a few hours prior, looking back, maybe she should have asked for answers first before sending him half-way across the school. But honestly, he got off lucky, popping up just as soon as she had given up looking for him, the nerve!

...However, she found that a part of her didn't care about that, a part wanted to go and talk to her first ever friend, find out what happened to him and then... well she supposed they wouldn't really have a choice about spending time together seeing as they were just enrolled at the same academy for the remainder of their teen-hood.  
When she began to search for other reasons why not to go and try to patch things up, she came to one constantly recurring conclusion, she was _guilty_.

It was odd, it wasn't an emotion she felt often, but surely enough, when she saw his deathly pale complexion and black hood attempting to conceal his snow colored hair, there was a small pang in her heart. It was because of her that he was changed forever, he was stuck like that for the rest of his life all because he did everything he could to save her. That was part of the reason she aimed to get stronger, so that no one else would get harmed trying to protect her.

Images of the poor boy shivering relentlessly beneath the covers flashed in her mind, after all he had been through, not to mention the years afterwards, she had no idea what happened to him in the time between them meeting and now, he must have been through many an ordeal to make his way here. All because of _her, _maybe it would be best if she kept herself away from him...  
What if he was damaged... emotionally? What if the ice had spread to his heart and made him cold?

The paranoid thoughts swirled around in her head, causing her eyes to snap open in panic- then she simply stared blankly...  
as a figure dressed in a light blue one piece strode past her, humming cheerfully as he did so, causing many interested huntresses to look away in disgust as he made his way past the flexing muscular boys, obscuring their view with an innocent grin.

Weiss resisted the urge to smack her forehead as she lay herself down once more, wondering why she had wasted her time worrying about him.

* * *

It was the day of initiation, the day when they would be sorted into the teams, forging bonds that would mean the very difference between life and death throughout the perilous and grueling day to day life of huntsman and huntresses, concern and worry were evident on the expressions of most the students he passed by, though the little red was more annoyed at the concept of making new friends, the pair from the library were adamantly trying to figure out a way to beat the system and end up on the same team and the heiress was in the middle of a desperate ploy to recruit the red headed prodigy into her team, all the while, the sole thing occupying Jaune's mind was-

_'Where in the HELL is locker 636' _he eyed up the lockers with eyes resembling that of a keen owl as he passed row after row of murder weapon full lockers, failing to locate his own _'Come to think of it, are there even over 600 students at this school?'_

With a sigh, Jaune conceded defeat, looking at his options, the squabbling sisters and the sloth callers, his judgement told him to instead go to the pair standing by the benches, waving as he approached.

"What's going on, you two?" he greeted chirpily as he was replied with a gleeful expression and... something else entirely from the girl next to her.  
"Jaune! Are you feeling ready for today?" the Flame Girl asked merrily as the heiress stood silent, eyeing the new arrival carefully.

"Just about, uh, how about you, Weiss?" he asked timidly, fearing for his organs, internal and otherwise. Luckily, she did not seem as agitated as the other day  
"We were just discussing teams" she answered without any particular emotion in her voice as the redhead nodded in agreement.  
"What are you thinking of doing, Jaune?"

The teen looked contemplative as he thought about it for the first time, out of everyone he had met so far... Yang seemed pretty powerful... though the though of being on the other end of that temper of hers sent shivers down his spine. Ruby seemed ok, though the way she swung her weapon about was sure to take out an eye or two eventually, Blake was... hard to figure, it was difficult to know how she thinks but from what he saw in the forest, she was pretty good.

Ren and Nora probably came as a set, no doubt, the two had good teamwork and seemed friendly enough, if not slightly psychopathic maybe they would be a good way to go, looking to his left he observed the patiently waiting redhead, she would definitely be a good asset, a good friend and even greater on the battlefield... then his gaze rested upon the heiress and he stopped as the thought lingered for a while.

_Teaming up with Weiss... huh?_

Slightly concerned about the boy's everlasting vacant stare, the redhead waved her hand in front of his eyes, breaking him from his daze.  
"Oh, sorry uh... I guess we'll have to wait and see!" he finished with a nervous chuckle as Weiss let out an impolite cough  
"Well Pyrrha and I have just decided to team up, perhaps you should look elsewhere" she spoke coldly, causing Jaune's casual smile to droop slightly, something that did not go unnoticed by either girl as Weiss looked slightly regretful before turning her head as Pyrrha lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Actually I hear the teams are comprised of four students each!" she informed excitedly as Jaune's hopes were lifted slightly.  
"So... you think I could join up with-?" Jaune began hopefully before Weiss spoke up  
"Hold it, Jaune, consider who you are talking to before asking like that!" Jaune looked confused as he looked over to the redhead smiling happily as ever.

"That's Flame-Girl" he answered honestly, picking up on the slight glare he received from the heiress as she heard his address, _so he gave her a nickname, then?  
_"_This _is Pyrrha, she graduated top of her class at Sanctum" she stated matter-of-factly, earning a dumb stare from the boy opposite her  
"Uh, haven't heard of that one..." he scratched the back of his head shyly  
"Hmph, she's won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row, a new record!"  
"The what?" Weiss lost her patience

"She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!" she exclaimed, wildly swinging her arms as it clicked in Jaune's mind.  
"That was _you?! _Damn, I lived off that for like, two years! I can't believe it!"

Weiss's eyes narrowed at that '_lived off it for two years?'  
_"That's interesting... but that must have been very bad for your health..." Pyrrha looked concerned as Jaune let out a little laugh, assuring her his livers were fully operational... he hoped.

Feeling an unexplained pang of guilt, Weiss spoke up again  
"Well, after hearing that, do you still think you can ask to be on her team?"  
Jaune's expression faltered once more, causing Weiss to turn her head abruptly to avoid seeing it when Pyrrha exclaimed

"Oh I've actually seen Jaune in combat and experienced it myself, he's honestly very impressive!" she spoke proudly as Weiss's eyes widened slightly, just how well did these two know each other anyway?! He didn't even know her name a minute ago!

"And the things he can do with that ice, it's spectacular" she added cheerily whereas Weiss's face was completely devoid of warmth  
"_You told her?!" _she pointed an accusing finger with such fury that Jaune couldn't quite believe could be exerted by one little furious appendage.  
"Oh yes, and the way he suddenly got behind me was a feat to behold!" the flame headed girl said carelessly, causing the heiress's face to turn a bright shade of pink as the worst possible meaning behind that entered her mind.

Jaune, noticing the possibly fatal misunderstanding, quickly raised his hands in surrender, alas it was too late  
"Jaune you perverted little-!" she raised her rapier with a look of wrath as Jaune took a big gulp  
"W-W-Wait that's not what she-"

Before any other pleas of mercy could escape the boy's mouth, he found himself being propelled through the air, hurling towards the end of the room and colliding roughly with the final row of lockers, his hood impaled to the one directly above him by a shining silver rapier as a notification rang out from the speakers  
_  
'Will all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation,  
again all first year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately' _came the familiar voice of Glynda Goodwitch, alerting the nearby newcomers as all  
began to make their way out of the locker oom

His head was spinning too much to respond as the heiress arrived, removing her weapon with a huff before storming out as the redhead followed after  
"I'll see you at the cliff, then!" she smiled nonchalantly once more before exiting also.  
"Yeah..." he responded meekly as he rested his head against the hard metal, catching sight of the number imprinted upon it  
_'636'  
_Jaune blinked twice... _Well I'll be damned...  
_

* * *

_"_For years, you have trained to become warriors. Today your abilities will be evaluated in the endless forest" Jaune took a nervous glance out at the vast wood spreading far out as the eye could see, it wasn't as if he wasn't familiar with the concept of stumbling through a dark forest without any sense of direction but still...

Jaune refocused his attention as Glynda stepped forward, addressing the crowd formally "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams, well, allow us to put an end to your confusion, each of you will be given teammates... today"

_"What, hrmm" _came Ruby's small cry as Ozpin spoke up once again  
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you work well"  
At that Jaune, looked over, locating the attentive heiress looking thoughtful as she also considered the headmaster's words

_"You idiot"_

_Jaune's eyes widened at the unexpected response. He turned to see her raising an eyebrow at him._

_"Not cut out for it? Never better than mediocre?_

_Minutes after we met, you managed to elude a group of trained assassins, carrying me half the way, then you tackled one of them into a frozen lake, which was still a stupid thing to do but I digress, you managed to hold your own against him and using you new power, managed to drive him and those other rapscallions back into the dirt holes they crawled out from._

_And if that isn't enough, even when you were frozen half to death, you still somehow managed to come to my aid when I needed it most. I'll admit I was skeptical at first, but right now... I feel like I can really trust you to have my back"  
_  
Jaune smiled, remembering every word, remembering the way she supported him, like a friend, like a partner.

This nostalgic feeling was not to last however as Ozpin took another sip of his coffee  
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with upon landing will be your partner for the next four years"

_Hold on,_

_DOESN'T THAT DEFEAT THE PURPOSE OF EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID?!_

"Once you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest, you will meet opposition along the way, do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path  
or you _will _die" he delivered heartlessly.

Jaune looked around to check if he'd heard that right, this guy was meant to educate and encourage the next generation, right?  
Surely enough, he was the only one who found it as anything outside the ordinary as the rest looked on, unfazed, some worryingly so.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of the initiation but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple  
at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must chose one and return to the top of the cliff, you will guard that item, as well as you're standing, and we  
will grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

_About 3 million... _but what Jaune was most concerned about was how exactly they were going to get down there, he didn't see any ladders or helpful ski lifts...  
"Yeah, uh sir?"  
"Good! Now, take your positions" Jaune frowned, not taking notice of the students beside him all entering specific  
poses, poised for what was to come next.

"Uh, sir, I've got a question..." A loud pang alerted him as he turned to see the spot where the heiress stood... _or was standing_, then looking upwards to see her flying through the air, quickly followed by yet another student.

Jaune went a shade paler... if that was possible _'Don't tell me...'_

"Uh, sir, you gave them parachutes, right?"  
The professor merely smirked, raising his mug to his lips, Jaune guessed it was to hide the evil laugh that he was certain followed each one  
of their insane headmaster's sentences.

Before he knew it, Ruby was already soaring through the sky, meaning of course that the next victim would be...  
Jaune sighed deeply,  
_  
Well, I guess I'm going for the trifecta..._


	9. Footprints in The Snow

As you can imagine, going from suitably stationary to hurling through the heavens at Mach 20 speed on your first day at school is a reasonably confusing and disorienting experience, however this momentary stupor was quickly overcome when the confusion was replaced by sudden panic as he realized his current situation.

Managing to turn his head, he caught sight of his fellow human projectiles as they equipped a wide assortment of weapons of all shapes and sizes, utilizing their traits in order to slow their fall and elegantly escape into the concealing foliage of the Emerald Forrest.  
Quite convenient for some, however, unlike some, his weapon didn't come with an inbuilt utility belt and thus here he was, flailing hopelessly through the air towards a certain demise, well he supposed if he kept making a habit out of being flung through the atmosphere, this was bound to occur.

As the looming shrubbery came closer, he realized he had to think, not exactly his strongest point but he thought he was good at thinking up things as he went, either that or he was just lucky... or maybe it was that he died the first time around and this was all the illusion of a dying boy that never got to achieve his dreams, residing in dreams to escape his harsh reality... maybe scratch that last one.

In his inward ramble, the ground and tower-like trees had grown dangerously near as his head began to spur into action, he had to act fast.  
Looking around, he tried to recall previous situations like this for a solution, to which end he found... nothing.  
Okay, improvisation it is.

Shutting his eyes, he focused his inner power, feeling a chilling sensation overcome him as course throughout him as his eyes re-opened, now carrying an icy tinge to his look as he focused on the ground rapidly approaching him as he condensed a light layer of moisture to create a slight covering of snow over his legs, it wouldn't negate the entirety of the impact, but it was better than nothing.

However, he was still likely to end up with a few broken bones and a possible concussion if he came to such a sudden stop, taking a glance around his surroundings, he managed to pick out a small stream a few yards away from his decided landing spot as he held out his arm towards it, channeling his power into it until the stream started to move erratically before suddenly lifting from its position and heading towards Jaune's path, landing on the grass and freezing, creating a mini ice stream stretching from where he would make contact.

Satisfied, he prepared himself to remove most of his momentum with the drop, lowering his mid air stance and narrowing his eyes before he hit.  
There was a resounding crack as he impacted the ice path, wincing slightly from the pain but realizing it could have been much worse before regaining his balance as he steadily slid down the ice path, smirking as his plan had worked.

* * *

With a graceful few flicks of her wrist, she managed to cast the appropriate glyphs and land safely in a small clearing, taking a moment to dust herself off before taking in her surroundings.  
Looking around, there was no clear path or indication of where she was meant to go, which would be troublesome but she supposed it was necessary to evaluate the skills of newcomers.

That wasn't her only concern, the proclamation that your partner would be the first one you make eye contact with was an annoyance, however in the future, she would be expected to be prepared to fight alongside anyone so she might as well get used to it now.  
Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't be selective.

The face of a certain someone entered her mind once again but she shook it off, she had made her decision, she couldn't go back on it now, no matter how much it tugged at her to reconsider. She conceded that it would be in the best of interests for all if she were to go with Pyrrha.  
Though, as she tried to find her sense of direction in the endless city of green before her, she had a long search ahead of her.

She sighed, it would be so much easier if they were to come to her instead...

Just as the thought entered her head, a sudden scream sounded from behind her. It sounded like some girl was in trouble!  
Turning to see the source, her eyes widened when she saw the black shape propelling towards her as she attempted to reach for her rapier.  
Her last thought was one of whether the black blur seemed familiar before she was suddenly engulfed by cold as her vision turned to black.

* * *

Jaune raised his fist in triumph, happy that for once, he had survived a fall without so much as a scratch.  
What he did not stop to consider, however, was the end of the hill he had allocated to be his landing zone, too gleeful to realize it until it was too late before he hit the top of the hill and was sent flying... again.

Jaune let out a less than manly yell as he tried to think of another genius plan, his mind to panicked to work properly as he sped towards the hard earth ground. There was no time to think, if it came to this, then!

Focusing once more, he forced out a strong surge of power, allowing it to escape him as an icy blue light filled the air before landing on the bank, summoning a large pile of snow, silencing a yelp that came from an unsuspecting participant as Jaune collided with it, sending snow flying in every direction as he let out a sigh, just happy that no one had been around to witness that fiasco.

Opening one eye, he lifted his head slightly, restricted by the snow he was engulfed in, and managed to locate his arm, he attempted to burrow out the thick snow, becoming confused when it seemed to refuse to respond, staying exactly where it was.

Upon closer inspection, the arm seemed rather odd. It was thinner and was not as pale as his was, it looked kind of... feminine.  
Assuming he had just lost feeling in it, Jaune took his free left arm and reached over, pinching the hand, _hard.  
_"Owch!"

From the outside, two pairs of eyes blinked open through the snow, one a deep blue, and the other an icy shade.  
With yet another shriek from the boy, he stood himself up, the snow falling behind him as the heiress did the same.  
"What was _that _for?!" she screamed, looking down at her slightly red hand.

"Sorry!" Jaune blurted "I thought that was my arm!"  
"What? How could you-?" she began, starting to lift her head before suddenly freezing, realizing what was about to happen.  
"Don't look!" she jumped out of the snow and turned her back on the stupefied teen.

"Uh... Weiss, what are you?" the heiress turned back to him with a scowl, well, he assumed it was a scowl, her eyelids were sealed shut but the eyebrows were enough to convey her emotions clearly.

"I was meant to partner with Pyrrha, remember?" Jaune looked down slightly, thinking he had gotten used to it by now, but still feeling a slight sting from the girl's words. "Just... find someone else, okay?" she spoke before turning to leave abruptly, leaving behind a boy she was sure would finally go his own separate way, not to follow her needlessly any longer.

* * *

...At least that's what she thought.

All throughout her trek through the never ending forest, she could feel the gaze of someone nearby, the occasional snapping of twigs and rustling of leaves were giveaways also to the fact that she had not quite shaken her pursuer.  
Deciding trying to coerce him out of it was pointless, and not wanting to risk eye contact, she ignored him, after a while, surely he would give up, why wouldn't he?

However, despite the sense in it, or lack thereof, Jaune still followed, not stalked, as he would remind himself, as he didn't have any ulterior motives... really, he didn't!

After a good half an hour, Weiss realized her unwanted companion was not her biggest problem as any attempt to fathom just where she was had ended fruitlessly, frustrating the heiress to no end, yet she knew better then to ask for help. The idea of asking was ludicrous, nigh inconceivable!  
"Hey, uh, you know where you're going, right?"

As regularly practiced for an attacker from behind, Weiss had her rapier against the assassin's throat within a second of realizing he was there, though of course, she was careful to focus on the boy's feet.  
"Didn't I tell you to leave?" Jaune chuckled nervously, edging awkwardly away from the tip of her blade  
"Well, uh actually you told me to find someone else" he spoke honestly.  
Weiss's eyes narrowed "And...?"

"I did! Then I came back a couple minutes later" Weiss couldn't see the smile, but the cheery tone was enough to confuse her  
"Who?" she asked, not quite understanding what the boy was implying

"Pyrrha, I found her near the clearing" he spoke casually, causing the heiress to audibly gasp as she had to stop herself looking up to him as a sudden feeling of sadness came over her, not because her main target for a partner had been taken, but, no matter how much she would have liked to deny it, she felt this way because it was official, Jaune wasn't her partner any more, he had moved on, that was good, that's what she had been hoping for, it's only natural after how she'd been treating him, it was all calculated, it was for the best, then why?  
Why did it feel so horrible?

Turning her back, she stepped away from him  
"W-Well, go on then! You don't want to keep her waiting, after all, you should feel privileged to have a partner like-"  
"She's not my partner, I walked off" he stated simply as Weiss once again had to resist the urge to look back at him and look at his face and attempt to read his expression and find out why in the world he would so something so blatantly foolish.

From her position, she spoke quietly "Why? Why would you do something like that?"  
Whatever she had expected, it wasn't what came next.

"Because you're my partner"

It was not the matter-of-fact tone that shocked her, nor the nerve to proclaim who she was and what her role would be, it was instead the implication that he had found a world renowned huntress, beautiful and gallant with a personality that far outshone her own that would gladly accept Jaune without question,  
he could have partnered up with the number one prodigy of this generation and soared higher than any other team at the academy... and he had walked away from it, for _her.  
_  
Because she was his partner.

The thoughts and emotions swirling around like a whirlwind in her head filled her with mixed feelings, some of great joy and happiness, others of uncertainty and nervousness, Jaune was not much better off.

He hadn't really planned to say that, it just came out without him thinking, if she had been turned around, he had half a mind that he'd have been sent on yet another voyage through the skies, coming out with something like that after she made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him... may possibly have been a mistake.

Though maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't mind? Could it be possible that she would be willing to accept him with a joyful expression and tears of happiness accompanied by a choir and guitar riff? Well, no, definitely not that, but it was possible, yes it was surely possible that she might have had a sudden change of heart and is now going to completely open up to him!

"You idiot" she spoke coldly, shattering Jaune's delusions immediately as he flinched slightly  
"You can't even tell, all this time, I have been deliberately horrible to you, yet you still just keep on spouting nonsense like that, why don't you hate me?! All this time, I've treated you like dirt, ignored you completely and even refused to be associated with you and yet you still..."

"Weiss, I..." he attempted to speak up, but was unable to find any words.

"Even before now... I mean just _look at yourself! _You've changed, you aren't the same Jaune Arc that was raised by his family in a quiet out of the way village.  
You nearly drowned, and the only reason you didn't is because you changed yourself entirely, you suffered for days because of the cold, you were forced to brave it to rescue me, and then you were nearly killed in the woods! All because of me!

And don't think I don't know about what happened in between!" Jaune's widened eyes were filled with confusion as she said that, how could she possibly-?  
"You left your family, didn't you?" her accusation was met with silence, thus she continued.  
"Any caring family would never let you live off of Pumpkin Pete's for over a year, and I overheard that Ruby girl talking about how she was discovered randomly on the street just like another boy Ozpin had mentioned. It's not hard to put two and two together, you know"

Jaune looked down in solemn remembrance as he recalled the lonesome time he had spent travelling from lodge to lodge, he imagined his little trip with Weiss had gotten him hooked on the places, it had been a very hard part of his life, but that still didn't mean that Weiss-

"I- I'm stronger now, you don't need to put yourself in danger for me, I can protect myself, so you don't have to suffer anymore, okay?  
Go back to Pyrhha" With that, she sped off, not surprised when she heard no response or calling from the boy behind her, this time he was sure to leave her alone forever, she had finally gone and done it.

Without caution as to where she was headed, she fought to keep the liquid building up in her eyes from cascading down her cheeks as she tried to put as much distance between her and Jaune as possible. In both senses.

* * *

It was a considerable amount of time later when Weiss found her way to something that looked like it could legitimately hold something of worth, a cave entrance on the side of a cliff with ambiguous red markings upon the rocky walls. Suspicious as it may seem, it was the only feasible lead she had come across so she had no choice but to venture inside.

Whilst light at first, the cave quickly became steeped in darkness, causing Weiss to activate her rapier, allowing the compartments to grow with a light that was small but enough to see where her feet were stepping.  
As the darkness grew, as did her doubt, the cave was relatively empty and easy to pass through, hardly a test for upcoming huntsman and huntresses, nonetheless she carried on, not wanting to leave only to later find out that the relics actually did lie within.

Slowly trekking her way forward, she became slightly concerned as she felt something warm, though it was foreboding and made her stop mid-step.  
She shook her head, she was a huntress now, she had to face anything that stood in her way, even if it meant doing it alone.

With a clear mind, she was able to take the next step, only that one however as a bright orange glow entered her line of sight, stopping her in her tracks yet again. It was an oddly shaped object that seemed to hang suspended in the air, moving around slightly as she reached her arm out towards it.  
It certainly didn't seem like your average relic, and there was only one of it, still Weiss felt the need to observe it thoroughly as she quickly took hold of it with her hand and held it close to her scrutinizing gaze.

It looked remarkably like something she had read about in her room a few weeks earlier, she let out a thoughtful 'hmm' as she tried to remember just what the book had said... _'a remarkably distinctive attribute...' 'best to avoid one if seen' 'belonging to the infamous creature of Grimm...'  
_Recalling that information, Weiss froze as a mighty roar confirmed her suspicions.  
_'The Death Stalker'_

There was a booming crash as the walls of the cliff side were blown away, the entrance now spanning a good few hundred yards wide.  
Weiss managed to land on her feet, skidding to a halt opposite the ferocious Grimm, grateful that her quick reflexes allowed her to activate her Glyph before she was crushed by the creature's over sized claws.

It snapped said claws at her in fury as Weiss took up a combat stance, berating herself when she got her foot placement wrong before raising her rapier to shoulder level and fixing the beast with a fierce glare. In any other circumstance she would have taken advantage of the confusion of the crash and escaped but not today, she had to learn to fight without someone watching her back.

Taking the initiative, Weiss began rotating the rapier's chamber and firing several basic Dust projectiles at the Goliath, they connected successfully and exploded on impact, however this only seemed to anger the beast as it prepared to charge at her.  
Not quite confident that she'd be able to pull off such a lucky evasion again, Weiss rotated the chamber once more before activating a Glyph, sending her flying towards the monster with an expression of pure concentration.

Stopping mid way, she twirled her rapier and planted it into the earth, sending a line of ice coursing through the ground until it reached the Stalker, encasing it's limbs in the ice. Now that she had it trapped, Weiss activated her Glyph once more, thinking back to her fight with the large knight in armor.

Within seconds she was in the air, before suddenly another Glyph appeared beneath her as she was sent propelling towards the captured beast, slashing at it as she passed by, she cursed inwardly as she couldn't break the hard, bony exo-skeleton, but she did not waver as yet another Glyph appeared beneath her, sending her back across the beast, this time successfully stabbing a piece of flesh, causing it to cry out in pain.

Eager to finish it, Weiss sped up, hurling herself across the Stalker at unmatched speeds, swinging and slicing all the while, feeling triumph with every connection. After a few more times, Weiss decided it was time, now firing herself high up into the sky, she rotated the chamber for fire dust before sending herself back down to crush its skull, she focused on it, careful not to miss it, however this lead to her ignoring what else was around her, including the large black tail that swung towards him.

With a forceful thud, the heiress was sent tumbling down onto the earth below, landing roughly and losing her rapier in the process.  
Damn, she had forgotten to subdue the tail! Only just retaining consciousness, the girl attempted to lift herself up to face her enemy with pride.  
It was to no avail as she collapsed once more, the glare weakening as she felt her strength leaving her.

She allowed herself to openly cure as the monster easily broke from its confines and began to approach its downed foe, was this the end for her? So close to the beginning, no, even before she had begun?! She was alone... all alone, there was no one coming for her now, she had damned well made sure of that, hmph, maybe it was karma getting her back, perhaps this was just meant to be it for her...

With those hopeless thoughts, the Stalker closed their distance, raising its powerful tail for one final strike.  
Weiss closed her eyes...  
The stalker raised its tail_  
I'm sorry, Jau-_

"SNOW ANGEL!"

The sudden yell accompanied by the sound of water cooling at an immense speed brought the heiress to her senses as she reopened her eyes, them now finally meeting with a pair of deep blue orbs just inches away.

"So, you finally looked at me huh?" Jaune spoke with a boyish smile as he lay crouched beside her, behind him what appeared to be a large wave that was entirely frozen, containing within it the thrashing tail of the Death Stalker.

"Listen Weiss, everything that's happened. It happened because I was with you" he spoke calmly, causing Weiss's face to go pale as she began to sputter  
"I-I'm so-"  
"And that's because we belong together" Weiss was once again shocked into silence as Jaune continued with a warm smile

"You and I, the things we've been through, I wouldn't change a minute of it, because that's the time that we've spent together, as partners!  
Sure, I fell into a lake and ate a bunch of dust, but look at me now, now I can protect those I care about! I can use this power for good!

The appearance change was a bit of a shock but in a way, I like it, it separates me from being just a descendant of the blond haired Arcs, I feel like I'm my own person, plus you and I both know white hair is the coolest, right?" he joked, earning a very small smirk from the weak heiress as she felt her spirits being temporarily lifted.

"Anything that happened after that was my decision and my decision only, I was scared to go back, I was scared to do things on my own, I still kind of am, but that's why I was so glad when I saw you! Weiss, if I'm with you, I think I'll be able to take the next step, you know!  
You were my first real friend, you're the first one I fought with and fought for with all my heart, you draw out the best of me, and as selfish as that sounds I really want to keep you by my side.

I'm not really the brightest, or the most tactful, and I apparently have a tendency to do things that would be considered rash or flat out reckless, but if you'll accept me... I promise to fight with you with everything I've got!" he finished, sending her a look that told her he was completely genuine, he wanted to fight alongside her as her partner... as her _friend._

She allowed herself a small smile as she sent him a sarcastic look  
"Honestly, must you always be so dramatic about everything?" she reached over and flicked his forehead  
"Hey! What was that for?" he rubbed his 'wound' with a childish pout as Weiss chuckled, feeling the energy return to her once more as she extended her arm towards the boy.

"I suppose, if you insist, I might as well indulge you. Just so long as you don't get in my way" she spoke formally, causing a spark in the teen as he looked at her hopefully  
"W-Wait... does that mean..." Weiss rolled her eyes.  
"Yes, Jaune, that means that as of right now, we're partners"

She couldn't help but feel joyous at the overwhelming amount of pure happiness that was emitted by the boy's grin that stretched ear to ear as he stood up with a hearty cheer before holding an arm down to her.  
With a courteous nod, she took his arm.

And thus, the two took the next step, together.


	10. The Heiress and The Huntsman

With one last tug, the monstrous tail released itself from its frozen captivity as the beast let out a deafening roar.  
Focusing its furious gaze downwards to locate his troublesome prey. To its confusion, there was now another human stood next to the first one,  
to make matters worse, the first one was seemingly completely unharmed.

The monster cast its devil-shade eye over to the wave like structure it had been encased inside of, it was much stronger than what was cast by  
the female, it was only thanks to her constant swordsmanship barrage with her rapier and the speed of her strikes that he couldn't break out earlier.  
It had underestimated her, it would not make the same mistake with the new arrival.

* * *

"So..." It had been easy enough when he was fueled by adrenaline in the spur of the moment, but when he found himself stood opposite a humongous, heaving goliath before him, reality began to sink in as he thought back to Weiss's comments on his tendency of rash decisions, beginning to find some truth in them as he turned towards the heiress with uncertainty in his voice "Any ideas on how to beat this thing?"

Weiss's battle ready stance faltered slightly as she turned to scowl at her 'knight in shining armor'  
"What?! Didn't you just completely immobilize him? Just do it again!" she barked as he recoiled slightly  
"Yeah uhhh that's the thing, I kind of need some moisture around me to do my thing, the natural moisture in the air isn't really sufficient so I _do _usually keep a light layer of it around me wherever I go but..." he trailed off

Weiss fixed him with an icy gaze as he tentatively raised one arm towards the tidal structure before them  
"I kinda used it all on that" he spoke with a guilty smile which was not in any way reciprocated by the heiress as she let out an aggravated sigh.  
_"My hero" _she uttered sarcastically, placing a a hand to her forehead as the boy pulled out his sword, Crocea Mors.  
Noticing its absence, Weiss spoke up "Didn't you have a shield before?"

The boy's face lit up as he placed a proud fist to his chest "Yup! I learnt to use another technique instead, it's pretty awesome, I bet you'd love to see it!"  
Weiss's eyes narrowed "And this technique... I'm guessing this includes using your power?"  
His smile grew even more "Uh huh!"  
"Using moisture in the air in order to create and bend ice and snow to your will"  
"Yes, miss!"  
"Moisture you are currently completely out of"  
"Eey- oh" Jaune stopped, realizing it a second before receiving another formidable flick to the forehead.

"Then what are we going to do?!" Weiss looked at the approaching beast and saw its blood red eyes focus on the pair, shaking her head, she raised her rapier  
and activated her semblance, causing a crystalline glyph to appear beneath her as she crouched in preparation.  
"I have a plan, but I need you to keep its eyes away from me as I do it, time will be of the essence so do exactly what I say when I tell you to, got it?"  
Turning to see his confused, yet trusting nod, she was sent flying towards the monster once more.

Following the heiress's swift departure, Jaune racked his brain, ways to distract a Death Stalker without getting impaled in the process... ideas weren't exactly flooding in. "Okay...okay I am a huntsman with the ability to manipulate an element... with no way to use it. What else, what else...OH!"  
His eyes lit up as he thought back to something he had experimented with during his two year absence, a way to make use of his drastically altered appearance.

As Weiss closed her distance, Jaune too dashed towards the monster, yelling out to it with what he assumed was some sort of war cry  
"Hey! Bone-face! You look like a scorpion on steroids!" With a low growl, the Stalker reared its head towards him as the heiress passed swiftly underneath it.  
Confident that its glare was directed at him, Jaune closed his eyes and focused.

He had been preoccupied at the time, but when fighting against the red head faunus from the White Fang years before, Jaune had noticed that he had managed to conjure up a rather threatening aura that managed to faze even the trained assassin that had been so confident moments prior. Whether it was his emotions or his power, maybe even a combination of both, something managed to strike fear into the heart of his opponent, though this was no ordinary opponent.

This was a monster of Grimm, a creature devoid of warmth or compassion, living on hate and destruction, almost a perfect personification of evil, intimidating one enough to make it temporarily immobile for even a couple of seconds was no easy task.  
Even so, his partner needed him right now, after spending so long convincing her to let him stand beside her as a partner, there was no way he was going to disappoint her now.

_"Sorry..." _he spoke, his eyes snapping open to reveal an chilling death stare, incomparable to that which he commonly received from the heiress, one that's piercing aura froze you on the spot with visible streaks of ice protruding from his pupils as his icy tone sent shivers down your spine, the monster of Grimm's eye was miraculously glued to his as its attention shifted entirely to Jaune's sudden act of intimidation. _"But you're not stopping us here, we're just getting started"_

"JAUNE, NOW!" came a familiar cry as Jaune's glare left the beast and instead focused on the heiress who pointed at the beast's legs, in the few seconds he had granted her, the Grimm's four legs were now once again encased in ice, a fact that had gone unnoticed by the pair as the heiress cried out once more

"You can use _any _ice right? Use mine!" Jaune's eyes widened as the sharp look was replaced with one of surprise, he had never thought of that before.  
With a firm nod, he instantly raised his arm, channeling his power once more as it began to take effect.  
The beast cried out in pain as the ice began to spread rapidly, growing and becoming much harder as it quickly enveloped its entire body, trapping it in place.

With a clench of his purple-gloved fist, several spikes of ice sprung out from the columns, impaling the Stalker from all sides as it let out one last roar before its glowing red eye darkened and its claws thrashing ceased, dropping lifeless.  
Satisfied it was safe to do so, Weiss fixed her rapier to her waist before taking her place beside Jaune as the two observed their handiwork.

"Sub-Zero wins, perfect victory, sorry Scorpion" Jaune joked as Weiss sighed, beginning to head away from the scene with a giddy teen in tow  
"You just had to ruin it" she chided, though she couldn't quite conceal the small smile that resulted from her first fight after reuniting with her old partner in arms, she couldn't deny it. They seemed to make a pretty decent team.

* * *

What followed after a strenuous battle with a might enemy that left the duo feeling victorious and unstoppable was in fact a long and boring trek through the symmetrical forest, with no lack of berating, dead ends, unexpected cliffs or wondering where the hell they were meant to be going.

"Ok, Weiss, I know I've asked before and you.. took exception to it" the boy visibly shuddered as the girl sent him her annoyed glare once more, almost daring him to repeat it.  
"Do you know where we are go-"  
"Yes, I know where we are going" she interrupted as Jaune looked at her in surprise as his eyes lit up in anticipation  
"...To the Forrest Temple" she finished matter-of-factly as the boy's anticipation turned to exasperation in the form of a sigh that didn't go unnoticed by the heiress who silenced any complaint with a small hand movement towards the steel weapon on her waist, earning a deep gulp from the now silent companion as the pair carried on into the next clearing.

"Yeehaw!"  
"NORA, SLOW DOWN!"

Jaune and Weiss stood still for a moment and blinked simultaneously, both wondering if they'd seen the same thing, that thing being the sight of an Ursa charging past them with a cheerful ginger and black haired teen who struggled to keep himself upright on its back.  
Turning to where the entourage had sped off, the pair caught sight of a large clearing that seemed to lead to a stone structure up ahead.  
With a brief exchange of equally blank expressions, they set off on the path of destruction left behind by the unlikely trio.

Upon leaving the dense foliage, the two were glad to see a large open clearing before them, in the middle stood the structure they had seen before, upon closer inspection, there were two people standing there, it was hard to tell from a distance but Jaune could just about make out shining yellow locks and a little black bow stood next to each other, their eyes fixed on the three next to them.

"Awww, its broken" Nora pouted as she inspected the Ursa with disgust, ignoring the panting boy beside it who's face had gone a color worryingly similar to his jacket. Jaune felt a hand on his shoulder  
"Jaune... no matter what, we are _not _teaming up with them" Jaune simply nodded, the expression displayed by the heiress enough to remove any chances of protest from the teen.

Walking over to what was hopefully the temple they'd scoured endlessly to find, Jaune offered a small wave to the girls who seemed to be carrying a small, golden pony.

"Hey Blake and uh, Yang" he opened hesitantly, wary of the fiery tempered blond even more so than his would-be assassin.  
"Oh, hey... guy! Got paired with the princess, huh? Good luck" she greeted, earning a shared scowl from both of the new arrivals  
"You still don't know my name?"  
"What do you mean, '_good luck'?"_

The blond chuckled nervously as Blake tactfully stepped in front of her partner  
"Sorry, she probably didn't mean anything by it, Jaune" she assured as Jaune sighed, well, he supposed they hadn't really had a proper introduction yet.  
"I'm sorry too, though you got yourself a pretty powerful partner from what I've seen, the two of you together should be incredible!"  
he enthused as Blake chuckled and Yang grinned pridefully.

Weiss's expression remained the same, however.  
"Jaune, how do you know her?" she spoke in a low, rather frightening tone as Jaune froze, sharing a worried look with Blake as they suffered under the heiress's fierce scrutinizing glare.

Jaune was panicking, if he were to reveal the _real _circumstances under which they had met, the results could be catastrophic, it was rather hard to put into words his relationship with the girl that was hired to kill him and nearly succeded in doing so but later reconciled with and grew to be good chums, yup, there was not one scenario Jaune could imagine that wouldn't involve someone getting fatally impaled.

It was kind of a nice feeling that he knew Weiss was protective of him, in fact, it made him really happy when he thought about it. But in this case, it would probably be for the best if she were left in the dark, at least until he could come up with some combination of words to explain the situation in such a manner that he still appeared relatively sane. A daunting task indeed.

All that was left was to come up with a nice and simple, feasible reason as to why he knew her. Easy.

"Well..." she began, carefully selecting her words "It's actually a rather funny story, Jaune and I happened to come across each other in the library one day when I happened to drop my bookmark-"  
"SHE'S MY SISTER"

There was silence in the clearing as wide eyes turned towards the boy who stood with his eyes firmly shut following his exclamation as Blake looked at him in bewilderment as Weiss lifted one eyebrow, her expression not faltering in the slightest.  
"... She's your sister" she repeated, her eyes boring into Jaune's very soul as he fought to keep himself under control, lying on the spot had never been his strong suit.

"Yeah, isn't that right, little sis!" Jaune let out a laugh as he placed an arm around Blake and gave her a brotherly hug  
_"Are you an idiot?" _she whispered to him  
_"I panicked! Just go with it!"  
_With another hearty laugh, Jaune happily addressed Weiss "Yeah, I arrived here around the same time as her and she and I had a little catch up!"  
Weiss looked over to the girl in the bow, who nodded, though it looked slightly forced  
"And she wasn't at all bothered by your two year absence... or the fact that you look completely different from when you last saw her"  
"Yup!" Jaune chirped, sweat becoming visible on his forehead as Blake tried her best not to make her discomfort obvious.

Time seemed to stand still as Weiss's shrewd eyes alternated from the nervous 'siblings' before her, the silence was only interrupted when a piercing screech filled the skies, causing all present to clasp their palms to their ears in a futile effort to muffle it.  
The deafening sound was repeated as a large black shape became visible of the high tree tops, carrying with it two young ladies with hairs of varying shades of red.

"JUMP, I SEE THE RELICS!" Came the unmistakable high pitch cry of one Ruby Rose as she dismounted the gargantuan claws she had been grasping onto, followed shortly by her partner as the two spiraled further towards the ground. Leaving behind a very disgruntled Nevermore that fixed its familiar hellish eye upon the falling pair.

Jaune's eyes tried to make out who the second girl was, and despite the glaring evidence, he couldn't quite believe it, just when had those two met up?!  
"Hello, everyone!" Came the nonchalant as ever call of the spartan in red as she approached the earth.  
As talented as she was, Jaune didn't quite believe that Flame-Girl could survive a drop from orbit without losing at least a limb or two, that going double for the little red falling alongside her.

Thinking quickly, Jaune turned to his partner with his best idea yet "Weiss, stab me in the chest!"  
"WHAT?! You want to die?! On our first day?!" the heiress exclaimed in horror as Jaune frantically shook his head  
"No! I need some more ice and I don't have time to wait to bend yours, I need it to be directly implanted into me and this is the only way I can think of right now!" he said, stepping opposite Weiss in a ready position

"This is crazy!" she yelled, grabbing her rapier and rotating the chamber nonetheless. Time was of the essence after all.  
"Crazy works for us!" Jaune insisted  
Weiss, had to admit, she couldn't argue with the evidence. Aiming so as not to hit anything vital, she plunged the rapier into his chest and unleashed the ice form dust to course through him, this would kill a normal person of course, but Jaune was by no means normal, in numerous ways as Weiss had come to realize over time.

The pain from the strike was enough to cause Jaune to wince in pain before it was quickly replaced by the feeling of new power surging throughout his entire body as a mist like substance began to surround him. He opened his eyes confidently, it had worked!

Turning immediately, he raised an arm and willed his power to activate, and just as soon as he did, a light blue aura left his hand and was sent to the ground in front of him as two large piles of snow big enough for a collding huntress formed.  
With a light poof, two shaped fell inside, causing the snow to scatter around the area as two pairs of eyes became visible through the pile, one vivid green and one bright grey looked out at him as he punched the air in victory.

"Yes! It worked, we did it Weiss!" he turned to congratulate her, but recoiled instantly as the now snow-covered heiress sent him an unforgiving look, for what seemed to be the twentieth time that day "Uh... sorry about that"

"Woah! How did you do that?" Yang stared in awe at the icy cushions that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, as did Nora and Ren, the former being far more exuberant whilst the latter merely had his curiosity piqued, though to her slight confusion, Blake wasn't nearly as surprised, instead she simply looked slightly impressed.  
Jaune looked fidgety as he began to explain "Uh, well it's hard to explain but I-"  
"It's one of the features of my rapier, it can temporarily transfer power to anyone who has a high enough aura" Weiss interjected, causing confusion to appear on Blake on Jaune, while prompting the rest to look impressed but not suspicious of it being anything more than that.

"Weiss-" Jaune began, stopping when she took a step closer to him  
_"We'll talk about it later"_ Jaune still looked unsure but nodded anyway.  
Blake looked unsatisfied but any attempt of inquiry was immediately dashed by the shriek that echoed throughout the clearing as the black shape in the sky began to circle the skies, alerting the ensemble of huntsman and huntresses as they all stood battle-ready, equipping their respective weapons in turn as Pyrrha spoke up.

"We have to move, it's impossible for new students like us to take on a Grimm like that by ourselves" she addressed the group.  
Jaune and Weiss shared a look before Ruby spoke up "She's right, there's no sense in pointlessly fighting it here"  
The hooded teen cupped his chin thoughtfully "So seeing something that could potentially kill us and _not _immediately confronting it?"  
He hummed in contemplation "Well, new territory but I guess we could give it a go!"

The redhead smiled back at him as Weiss directed her gaze over to the stone structure, taking notice of the circle of podiums that all held various colored chess pieces. "Well, before that, I'm guessing we need to pick one. Your choice, Jaune, I don't mind" she spoke as Jaune shook his head  
"Nah, come on, we'll both do it!" he cheerfully announced before taking her arm and leading her off towards the piece that stood out to him, ignoring the series of complaints that left the resisting heiress as she was dragged along.

"Here, a castle for the princess!" He grinned as he lifted the golden rook as the heiress couldn't help but release another minuscule smile at the lame joke.  
Ruby beamed at the two, before putting her best game face on and addressing the group once more  
"Okay, let's make it to the cliff as one big team!" she took a confident stride forward as the rest followed suit, only making it that far before a series of ear pounding roars stopped them mid-step.

"AGH! God what is with all the random loud noises today?!" Yang exclaimed as the ground began to rumble, then, from three sides of the woods,  
emerged not one, but _three _death stalkers aggressively snapping their pincers at them as the Nevermore let out another cry from above.  
"Okay, WHO pissed off the Death Stalkers?!" came yet another yell from the blond as Ren eyed them cautiously.

"Death Stalkers tend to get worried when one of their alphas get taken out so they band together to try and take care of the threat" he informed them as they all thought back, not remembering doing anything of the sort, not believing any one of them could be capable of doing it alone at this point of time, that is of course, apart from one Jaune Arc, who went stiff as a stone with eyes wider than ever before as Weiss's expression was one that was equally full of guilt

"W-Well i-it doesn't really matter who may or may _not _have gotten involved with a Death Stalker, possibly causing all others in the area to search us out and annihilate us on sight and thus pretty much making the examination five times harder, does it?" he spoke nervously as the entire group sent him a suspicious look as he was very careful to avoid eye contact "L-lets just get going to the cliff, you know, as one big team? Right, Weiss?"

"Huh?!" she yelped, feeling just as uneasy "Uh y-yeah, I mean yes, th-there's no sense in dilly-dallying after all, off we go then!" She announced as she and Jaune sped off , laughing nervously in the only Stalker-free direction as the rest of the group watched them go with the same thought occupying everyone's mind.  
_'They're so obvious...'  
_

* * *

A light chuckle was audible upon the cliff side upon which a certain professor and his assistant watched the activity of the new students with interest as life-long partnerships were forged and new strength was discovered in themselves and each other. Combining both teamwork and their unique ability to become a truly formidable fighting force.

"Well, looks like the last pair has chosen its piece, Jaune and the Schnee heiress, from what we've seen, their fighting styles compliment each other's, though I can't imagine two with such varying personalities being able to get along outside of battle"  
Ozpin murmured in agreement, though his eyes told a different story as he observed the two with a rare warmth in his expression  
_'So it's her you were talking about, then?'_

Observing the situation develop, Glynda turned back to the professor with evident concern  
"Professor, are you certain we shouldn't step in, it looks like the group of eight have gotten themselves into quite the dangerous predicament"  
Ozpin spared a glance at the tablet, having to suspend his belief upon witnessing the gathering of large Grimm that looked to their collection of adorable new students as their newest prey.

Contrary to the huntress's expectations, however, Ozpin merely hummed in interest in it before turning back to the vast forest without a comment or acknowledgement of any variety. "Professor Ozpin?" she repeated, alarmed that a headmaster could look at such a situation and not pay it a second thought.  
"This is their path, and they must walk it alone. We shouldn't interfere" he stated plainly as he took another sip from his coffee.

"This is their chance to prove their worth, lest we impede them. After all, it is those who no one suspects to be bright up that can light up the darkest skies" he focused his gaze on the boy that led the group escaping from the claws and beaks of death into the foliage as he officially began his journey with the one he was destined to be with, as well as many other valuable friends.

Though upon closer inspection, the boy was more worried about the dangerous looks he was receiving from his followers than the soulless bringers of death that pursued them all, making sure to keep his distance from them as well as the deadly beasts, alongside the panicked heiress who was doing the same.

Ozpin smirked, he sure knew how to pick 'em.

* * *

**Hey guys, Rare here. Just wanna say a big thank you for all the support and reviews. I really appreciate it! Thank you for reading and I sincerely hope you enjoyed! Next chapter, the final part of the initiation and the formation of the teams! **  
**Looking forward to reading what you guys think :)**


	11. Flaky First Impressions

With an ear piercing shriek, the Nevermore continued its pursuit of the ensemble as they made their way through the muddy wasteland near the cliff, littered around them were stone structures of all shapes and sizes as they split into groups of two and headed into cover.  
The bird of prey circled the skies as the rumbling of three Death Stalkers grew louder and louder.

Almost by instinct, Jaune and Weiss had paired up as they crouched behind a fallen stone pillar, both feeling the danger in the air as they were ruthlessly hunted down by not one, but four colossal monsters, even the heiress was having trouble retaining her composure as the feathered beast circled above.  
"You think we can wait it out?" Jaune asked halfheartedly as the sound of bark snapping brought their attention towards the trio of very angry giant scorpions currently headed in their direction.  
"No." Weiss stood, grabbing Jaune by the arm as they sped off towards the bridge "No would be the answer to your question!"

Seeing them come out of hiding, the Nevermore lifted off from where it was perched and hoisted up its wings as the others, too, came out from behind the crumbling structures. "Nora, distract it!" Ordered Ren as a trigger happy huntress equipped her weapon from her back and began to fire from it what appeared to be grenades... with love hearts on them.

With piercing explosion, the projectiles collided with the predator, sending it shrieking off into the skies once more as Nora grinned in accomplishment, neglecting to notice the set of pincers snapping from behind her as Ren and Blake quickly parried the over sized claws as Weiss rushed over to the redhead before activating her semblance and bouncing away with the bubbly vixen in tow.

"Hurry!" Pyrrha called out as the group reconvened before sprinting across a narrow, stone bridge, fueled by adrenaline and fear, to the point at which the deadly caw of the Nevermore approaching them fell upon deaf ears, leaving them none the wiser, this was, of course, up until the impact.

* * *

As the dust finally settled, the first thought on young Jaune's mind was not a surprising one as he rapidly stumbled to his feet before jolting his head left and right in an effort to locate the girl in the tiara. As fate would have it, there she lay, face down not a few steps away as Jaune, quick to rush to her aid, sped over before placing an arm on her and shaking gently.

"Weiss... Weiss... you okay?" he spoke softly as icy blue eyes flickered open as Weiss took in the sight of the boy's concerned face before her, her half-awake mental state unable to register just how close he was as she slurred a response  
"Oh... Jaune, is it over?" Jaune let out a nervous chuckle as she dizzily sat up.  
"Uh... kinda?" he responded, wondering whether or not the girl may have hit her head on the way down.

This response was refuted almost immediately as the bloodthirsty collection of screeches sounded from behind them as the dust gave way to the hulking masses with their devilish red glare and snapping pincers. Jolting her awake, Weiss scrambled to her feet in a panic as Jaune released yet another... less than masculine yelp as they simultaneously turned and fled in the opposite direction, prompting a low growl from all three scorpions before they began their pursuit.

Huffing as they went, the duo desperately dashed off, needing to put distance between themselves and the enemy before they could stop to make a attempt at a battle plan as their feet pounded the muddy ground as they rushed towards what appeared to be a... dam? It looked run down, certainly but there remained a large reserve of water confined behind the stone wall as Jaune made a small mental note of it.

Coming to a standstill, more for the sake of giving their lungs a break rather than assuming they were safe.  
"Hey, Jaune!" gasping, the pair looked up to see a refined young man clad in green bearing a pair of SMGs approach them.  
"What happened to you two? I lost track after the collision" he asked, confused at the panting pair before him as Jaune tried his very best to deliver an informative answer.

"HAH... Huh... hah... scorpions! And then th-the mist, whoosh, and tiara and then, pah, running then _more _scorpions... then here"  
Not exactly satisfied with the information, Ren looked over to the heiress in hopes for a more enlightening experience  
"What he said..." she offered weakly as she caught her breath.

"Uh, Ren? Death Stalkers" came a familiar voice from behind as Ren replied, not having to look back to decipher it's owner  
"Yes, no, I gathered that much" he spoke as the pair in front of him suddenly froze up as he raised his eyebrow in suspicion  
"No, Ren, I meant _DEATH STALKERS!" _came her trademark squeal as Ren turned around to spot the monsters in question come into view as the quartet raised their weapons in alarm.

Eyeing them down, Jaune watched as the two monsters steadily came nearer, realizing the need to act fast, he spoke  
"Split into two! Have one person parry its blows head on and the other use long range attacks!" he yelled, having to trust whatever came out of his mouth as he didn't have time to contemplate the pros and cons.

With few other options, the others put their faith in Jaune as Ren and Nora broke right, firing several rounds at one of the Stalkers as they drew it away, following suit, Weiss fired a few rounds from her rapier before joining Jaune as they diverted their Stalker's attention away from its partner.

Following the battle plan, Weiss took the role of short range as Jaune stood a few paces behind, confident that he possessed enough moisture to last him for the fight. Weiss, still gathering her bearings for this new kind of experience, cautiously placed her strikes when she could and parried with Myrtenaster when the beast swung its hammer of a claw down upon her, prompting Jaune to raise his arm, summoning a small spike of ice to come propelling from his palm, directly into the pincer, forcing it to recoil as the heiress landed yet another successful hit.

Looking to their left, the pair focused on the other dynamic duo, the calm and stoic boy supporting from behind as the sadistic maniac of a huntress slammed her hammer down upon the skull of the beast, chuckling as she did so, sending chills down even Jaune's spine before they returned their attention towards their own target.

The Death Stalker let its animosity shine clear as it snapped its pincers once again before calming down suddenly, letting out a low sound that I Jaune didn't know better, he would assume to be a chuckle as the Death Stalker swung its stinger suspiciously as Jaune froze.  
Would he be able to tell her in time?! He began to fret as the tail cascaded down faster than Jaune could react.

What neither beast nor boy had seen, however, was the confidence evident in the heiress's eyes as she sidestepped the stinger with ease before taking a clean slice at the monstrous tail as there was a temporary pause before the wound became evident as the limb fell lifeless to the ground.  
The beast cried out in agony, quickly amplified by a sharp jab through the eyes socket and into the innards of the skull from the girl in white as Jaune couldn't help but gape in awe.

She'd gotten good! Scary, almost...

As they smiled victoriously, the Death Stalker seemed to lose its will to fight alltogether as it backed up a few paces from where the fearsome heiress stood, they turned to their left to see a similar sight as Nora stood proudly upon the heaving behemoth that looked near death!  
Their relief was short lived however as another roar bellowed throughout the wasteland as another beast came into view, the third Death Stalker.

Upon its arrival, the other two seemed to regain a bit of spirit as the one that had been the ginger girl's doormat shook her off violently, sending her hurling into the unsuspecting boy's chest as they collapsed to the floor in a heap.  
The beast that had just been cowering before Weiss now stood tall once more, taking slow steps to challenge us yet again.

They weren't prepared to take this fight any further, Jaune had to think, but no matter how hard he racked his brain, he came up short.  
The group of four was exhausted, that much was clear, it had been a long day even before these guys had shown up and now they had them cornered.  
Was there any way out of this!? Had it just been blind luck that had gotten them this far?

Jaune looked over to the weary and beaten childhood friends to the right, then turned his gaze towards the heiress,  
his partner in arms... were they going to meet their end so soon?!  
Jaune clutched his head as he cursed to himself, infuriated with his inability to come up with a solution  
_"I can't save them, I can't save Weiss!  
Why does this have to happen! Why, after all this time?_  
_Did it end here? No, think of something Damnit! Damn it damn it damn it!_  
_Damn damn damn..._  
_..._  
_...wait... dam!"_

Swiveling round, Jaune once again faced the large stone wall, containing behind it... hundreds, maybe thousands of gallons of water... that's a whole lot of moisture!

With a determined grin, Jaune yelled for everyone to follow him before leading the group to higher ground, finding a rather steep hill near the side of the dam.  
"This should be perfect..." Jaune turned to Nora with a bold smile "Nora, bomb the dam, flood the freaks!"  
Weiss's eyes lit up as she realized what he had in mind whilst Ren looked skeptical and Nora... well she was just happy to blow something up.  
"You got it!"

With a swing of the gargantuan hammer, it transformed into the more compact launcher mode as a giddy girl with a foxy grin took her aim as Jaune couldn't suppress the excitement combined with adrenaline that now coursed through his veins.  
"OPEN FIRE!"

With an almighty bang akin to a thunder clap that reverberated throughout the clearing, the fiery blast left large cracks in the stone wall, that soon grew and connected as the sound of moving water became audible for all before everything came crashing down.  
The sudden rush of water was so immense and fast that it amazed all present as it came gushing down into the clearing, flooding the land below, including three very unlucky Death Stalkers that were caught in the rapid current, causing them to utilize the entirety of their strength to avoid being carried away by the heavy flow.

This was his chance, he had never done anything like this before and wasn't at all sure if it would work out or not, but hey, since when did logical reasoning ever help him in situations like this? Itching to finish the job, Jaune lifted his arm towards the heavy current and closed his eyes.  
This was going to take a lot of focus.

As he willed the power to channel through himself, he directed it to his arm and began to visualise, and soon enough, the images in his mind came to fruition as parts of the gushing water begin to freeze over. Much to the astonishment of Ren and Nora that watch it wide-eyed, not entirely sure what is causing the phenomenon whilst Weiss stands with her hands on her hips, proud of her partner as the ice begins o spread.

The sharp waves turn to pale blue as they become entirely still, the waters that were just flooding the giant scorpions now began to encase them in icy cold prisons as they are engulfed as the gushing water turns solid. Letting out a symphony of growls and roars, the trapped Death Stalkers are encased one by one until the entire stream is frozen. Leaving three motionless beasts trapped within as the trio sat upon the hill watch in amazement.

Jaune didn't have the luxury of relishing in his victory, however, as he found himself feeling slighlty light-headed, before losing his balance entirely and collapsing to the floor, his limbs dropping lifeless as Weiss cries out in concern  
"Jaune! Are you all right?" she shakes the boy softly, not unlike he had done for her not a few minutes prior.  
A small smile emerging from the boy even as he lay unconscious is enough to set Weiss's mind at ease as she smiles fondly down at him.

Meanwhile, an ecstatic Nora was already sliding around the ice giddily, apparently not minding the beasts that lay below as she giggled into a pirouette as Ren stood dumbstruck before the frozen structure. Had Jaune really been able to do this? He knew semblances could be very unique but this was a bit too extreme to be natural. Looking up at the boy who's head now rest upon the heiress's lap as she checked his forehead carefully, he decided he would just have to figure Jaune out at his own pace.

Turning round to witness Nora complete a three point turn mid air before a landing easily worth at least a '9'. He chuckled, maybe Jaune was the 'Ice Boy' Nora loved to read about. Shaking his head, he dismissed these foolish thoughts, what were the odds of that?

* * *

_Jaune awoke with a start to unfamiliar surroundings, he blinked dumbly as he inspected the room he awakened in.  
He had been sleeping in a bed made entirely of... what looked like... snow. But it couldn't be... could it?_  
_Looking around, the rest of the room appeared to follow the same theme. Reflective ice floors and equally pristine walls, complete with frost covered_  
_window sills, a large, shining chandelier that hung from the crystal white ceiling and a pair of crystalline double doors at the end of the massive room._

_Jaune narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he sat up in the master bed he found himself situated in, looking down at the snowy blankets that somehow kept him warm... where the hell was he?!_  
_Without having time to investigate further, let alone exit the bed, the double doors at the end of the room swung open and in came a dazzlingly beautiful woman with pure white hair flowing down past her shoulders adorning a light blue nightgown with a familiar logo imprinted onto the chest, and she appeared to be carrying a tray of something as she beamed at him with alluring icy blue eyes._

_"Jaune, darling. You didn't get up in time so I brought you your breakfast" the beauty spoke cheerfully as she lay the tray across Jaune's lap before taking a seat on the bedside and smiling down at him. "Ice waffles with ice syrup and some icy bacon on the sides!" she exclaimed with glee as Jaune looked down at the meal in bewilderment. What kind of serving was this?_

_A light giggle brought his gaze up again as he inspected the woman more closely, fair white skin, icy blue eyes, snowflake logo... but.. no, it couldn't be..._  
_"Weiss!?" She had spurted into a woman! How long had he been asleep for?! Though he was relieved that time had treated her well, especially in certain areas that we would not care to admit._

_Shaking himself free of those kind of thoughts, he brought his mind back to the matter at hand_  
_"Weiss, why am I here? What happened to the others? Why are you serving me waffles made of ice?" he questioned exasperatedly as Weiss looked back at him, visibly confused._

_"Okay, let me answer in reverse order. I'm serving you them because it's father's day, silly!" Jaune's expression froze on the spot, yet Weiss didn't seem to notice as she continued "The others are downstairs in the kitchen and you are here because we slept here last night, remember?" she explained like it was the most normal thing in the world._

_After a few seconds spent recovering from the initial shock, Jaune spoke up "F-Father's day... so that means... the 'others' would be..." he started, not wanting to know the rest as Weiss finished his sentence cheerfully_  
_"Yes, your fifteen children"_

_Actually shaking with panic now, Jaune looked up to Weiss's gleeful eyes hesitantly "T-Then... we slept her because we are..."_  
_"Yup, we're married and they are our children, jeez, did you hit your head or something?" she speaks concernedly as she bends over to check Jaune's temperature, pressing her forehead to his causing a sudden spike of temperature to occur as the boy realized just how close their faces were._  
_"Wow, Jaune, it looks like we're going to have to bring you to doctor Nora, that fever is running way too high!"_

_"Doctor... who?" Jaune squeaks as a certain redhead looking the same as ever but now wearing a white lab coat popped up from behind the foot of the bed_  
_"ALREADY HERE!" she exclaims as she rushed to a seriously lost for words teen as she places a medical briefcase down on the bed, before opening it and pulling out two yellow medical gloves before snapping them on and turning to Jaune with a very dangerous looking grin._

_Taking him completely off guard, she slams her hands onto his face, forcing him to lay down flat as she prods her fingers around his face before opening his mouth and taking a good look inside before humming decively and going back to her briefcase._

_"Well doctor? What is the verdict?" Jaune's wife pipes up, concerned for the father of fifteen's safety as Doctor Nora pulls out something that looked curiuosly similar to her grenade launcher slash hammer as she turns to her patient with a serious facial expression_  
_"Well Jaune, you need surgery. Fast. But I don't have the proper equipment. But don't worry" she comes close, grinning from ear to ear just inches away from Jaune as she delivers the next line "I think my hammer will do the trick"_

_Jaune looks away from the crazy doctor, to the supportive wife of his who looked on hopefully, then back as she raises her hammer menacingly._  
_"W-w-wait Nora! I really think we should consider other options first!"_  
_"It's fine!" she assures, not so convincingly "I'm a professional! Take a deep breath! It might be your last!"_  
_"WHAT?!" the doctor giggles once more as she lifts the hammer higher, before swooping it down with all her might_

* * *

"Woah!" Jaune awakes with a start as he finds himself facing a very Beacon-esque tiled white wall. He was in the infirmary.  
Phew, it had just been a dream. He chuckles in relief as he turns himself to the right.  
Coming face to face with Nora, grinning widely  
"Hi."

"AGH!" Jaune exclaims as he frantically pushes himself back up against the bed's back board as the giggling red head, now no longer wearing the lab coat, steps back to join the bemused looking Lie Ren and the normal sized heiress standing with one arm bent against her waist, looking impatient.  
"Feeling better now? It's nearly time for the ceremony" she speaks with poorly veiled irritation as Jaune gathered his bearings.

"That sort of depends... Are you and I..." he points at her then himself, not quite sure how to phrase the question as Weiss looks confused  
"Are we what?" she speaks in an annoyed fashion as Jaune shakes his head, definitely not, that was just a stupid, totally unrealistic dream.  
"Never mind." he answers dismissively as he pulls the covers off of himself, not quite able to deny that the first part of the dream hadn't seemed _entirely _unpleasant.

"Oh yeah, what happened to Ruby and the rest?" Jaune asks, having remembering losing track of them following the collapse of the bridge.  
"They took out the Nevermore, they managed to use Blake's whip as a catapult of sorts and Ruby was flung at the bird in mid-air along with Pyrrha's shield, which Pyrrha was able to make fly upwards in order to decapitate it. It sounds rather impressive." Ren explained as Jaune nodded with wide eyes, impressive didn't seem enough for something like that!

"Yeah, though what we did was like SEVEN times more awesome! We took out THREE Death Stalkers, that's like, totally a school record or something right?"  
Nora cheered before embracing Jaune in a one armed hug "We kicked its boney butt with our super amazing combo! The way you made them all freeze was so cool! And you made a miniature ice skating rink! That's two wins!" she laughs as Jaune smiles proudly, happy that he had been able to help.

Ren eyed Jaune warily, not going unnoticed by the heiress who kept a watchful eye on him, unconsciously protective of the boy sat on the bed  
"Yes, actually I was wondering about that Jaune..." Ren begins as Jaune looks up at him innocently. "How exactly did you-"  
"Oh, look at the time, Jaune let's be off. I'm not going to miss the ceremony because you were too slow waking up!"

Weiss interrupted, sending Jaune a demanding look as he stood with a gulp, waving a quick goodbye to the pair before being forcibly dragged out the doorway  
and into the corridors and of to the main hall where their fates would be sealed for the next four years.

As team after team were formed, Weiss stood close to her partner, despite what she might say, Weiss valued him highly and acknowledged that they made a good pair, thus she would not be pleased if they happened to be paired with people who would simply slow them down or interfere with  
their teamwork.

If it was up to her, they would be going as a pair, she was confident enough that her brilliance and skills combined with Jaune's unpredictable power and motivation would be enough to outshine any of the others. After all, she wouldn't allow just _anyone_ to be her partner in arms.

Though in honesty it was partly due to the fact that he was the only one that was precious to her, and that she could trust completely, not that she would allow herself to think that, of course.

With these thoughts in mind, Weiss gripped onto his arm tightly as she watched a team of four ruffian looking boys were put together under the name 'Cardinal-Red'. Were team names based off of colors this time around?

"Now, for the next team..." Ozpin began, Weiss looked around, the only ones left were those who met up in the clearing during the initiation. The pesky little read and her boisterous sister, the snide, bookish girl in black, Pyrrha, then... those two.  
If four were necessary, she supposed Nikos would be acceptable, as long as there was no more nickname or otherwise inappropriate matters between them, naturally. That would only be distracting and that was totally unacceptable for her team!

Anyone else would be adequate, as long as it wasn't... she had to suppress a shudder... _those two. _Casting her eyes around, she caught sight of the troublesome pair, the girl bouncing up and down excitedly as the boy tried to keep her from jumping up onto the stage so she could be placed already.  
That girl was bound to be nothing but trouble, a certain amount of level-headedness is essential for a huntress and she was afraid the fiery redhead did not tick that particular box. Or any box she could think of for that matter.

The taller, lean, black haired boy was a definite no as well, the way he looked at Jaune just rubbed her the wrong way, she didn't want him to have anything to do with her partner and that was final. There was no way she could team up with either of them, not Nora nor-

"Lie Ren" came the voice of professor Ozpin as Weiss's attention was immediately glued to the professor, worried about his next words.  
It wasn't going to be was it? Out of the six of us, what were the odds? No it definitely, definitely would not be-  
"Jaune Arc"

Weiss's grip on his arm tightened as she cursed her internal monologue with all she had as the boy looked shocked as well, but not nearly as displeased.  
Wait... that also meant...  
"Nora Valkyrie"

It was official, her life was over. That was it, her hopes and dreams just came crashing down right in front of her for all to see.  
"And Weiss Schnee."

The heiress forced herself not to let her deep despair show on her expression as she stood tall alongside Jaune as the foursome made their way onto the stage, the letters 'L A V W' appearing above pictures of their heads on the large hologram hovering above them.

"The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces, and will work together as team 'Lavender-White', led by... Jaune Arc!"  
And that was the final nail in the coffin, as Nora embraced Ren with a rhythmic laugh, Weiss stood absolutely gobsmacked.

By all means Jaune was a valuable asset, but a _leader? _That was meant to be her role to fill, now everything was upside down, what with their two  
ingredients for disaster teammates and misplaced leadership. Surely Jaune felt as troubled by this as her!

Turning to her loyal partner, expecting a look of similar chagrin, she was instead met by a small smile as Jaune looked slightly unsure, but nonetheless excited for the times to come. And, even surprising herself, Weiss felt slightly... hopeful. His small show of confidence and faith was enough to make even Weiss doubt her preconceptions.

Maybe... it would be okay, yes, it was quite possible, she should know not to look down on Jaune, no matter how juvenile he may sometimes appear, he always somehow manages to pull through for her, she just doesn't always recognize that. Well now, as their future lay before them, Weiss could genuinely say that she felt happy to take the next step alongside her partner... and her teammates.  
Maybe this team could actually work out, maybe even Nora wouldn't be so-

"YAY! Our team name's pretty! Let's celebrate with extra syrupy pancakes once we get back... no, even better, we'll color them lavender, and some of them white! And they will be our team's special meal! IT WILL BE DELICIOUS! REN, GET YOUR APRON!"

Weiss's expression fell once more... nope, they were doomed after all.

* * *

**Hi, Rare here. Hope you haven't been waiting too long. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter. Want to thank you all for the feedback, it really helps and makes me want to write more immediately, I sincerely appreciate it!**

**Hope you liked the little dream sequence and my choices on teams, name wise I had to be a bit inventive but I think it turned out okay, anyway please tell me what you think and I will see you next chapter.**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	12. Cold Front

"Now Nora" Weiss began, stopping at the door and turning around to address her newest teammate.  
"I know you like to be a bit... enthusiastic when it comes to, well mostly everything. But we're an official team at Beacon Academy now, and  
there is a certain amount of professionalism and seriousness that is required in order to well, saying this..."

She trailed off, pulling out her tablet and tapping away at the holographic screen as the door was unlocked, prompting her to push it open, revealing to one and all, the accommodation in which the newly formed team would spend their time outside of battle and classes for the years to come.

Among the foursome there was a shared feeling of anticipation as the door swung open, revealing a fairly basic room with little decoration, an en suite bathroom and four empty beds lined in a row across the room. Across the walls was one large window framed by auburn curtains above a rather stock full bookcase with novels of all varieties.

Lining the wall were shelves accompanied by even _more _books, causing a certain young Arc to look nervous at the amount of reading he was expected to do outside of classes. Even more worrying was the desk at the end of the room, obviously intended for long out of class projects and homework, not exactly reassuring the less-than-studious teen, but that didn't take away from the otherwise exciting feel in the air as he managed a small smile.

This was their room, where team Lavender-White would reside, hopefully enjoying each other company during the brutally short interludes between training, learning and missions, not that they were displeased about that, that's what they were here for, and they were happy to even have a place like this to come back to.  
It certainly beat the unforgiving floors of the main hall.

As the foursome entered in, each with their own levels of giddiness present upon their expression, ranging from Ren's reserved smile of mere satisfaction to Nora's ear to ear explosion of elation as she struggled to keep herself from the ever so inviting beds. "Ahem" Weiss took a position in front of the trio once more "Now, let's allocate areas around the room in an organized manner so that we can fairly and democratically decide upon allocation and other matters such as-"

"Bouncy beds!" Nora interrupted as she could no longer restrain the urge as she leaped upon to the closest bed, nearest the window, and proceeded to drop all of her belongings on the floor before launching herself up onto the bed and jumping up and down with utter enjoyment etched on her expression as she giggled between each rise and fall as the heiress narrowed her eyes in clear annoyance.

"Why do I even try?" she sighed as she turned back to the two boys, attempting to ignore the springs and giggles occurring behind her.  
"Now, naturally, I will require the majority of space for toiletries in the bathroom, closet space is a must, you two will always, without exception change your clothes in the bathroom and will wait patiently when either I or Nora are changing, is that understood?"

She sent a piercing, authoritative look to the both, almost daring them to challenger her terms, lingering on Jaune for a few seconds longer, causing an audible gulp from the nervous teen as he gave a quick, affirming nod.

Confident she had been well understood, Weiss turned towards the three remaining beds as one had been well and truly reserved.  
Knowing that choosing to sleep near Nora was a definite death sentence she was sure included the heiress not getting a wink of sleep throughout the nights.  
Ideally, Ren would remain close to her, as then she remained his problem.

She still felt uneasy when Ren was around Jaune, thus, the sensible positioning would be Nora, Ren, herself, Jaune.  
That way she'd be far away enough not to suffer from the incessant rambling, as well as preventing Ren from getting to close to  
her partner.

Satisfied with her choices, Weiss turned to address the others, only stopping when she realized that she was facing an empty wall, the space devoid of the two boys that previously occupied it. Hearing avid chatter, she turned to see that Jaune had already set up on the bed _directly _next to the exact boy she had wanted to keep from, listening intently as he informed the snow haired teen of the time Nora had gone out hunting boarbatusks when they had run out of bacon on a joint holiday.

"With only firecrackers?" Jaune asked with wide eyesnot quite believing the tale Nora grinned proudly from her bed, Ren sighed  
"Yes well, she was only eight, she always has had an affinity for anything explosive" Ren sighed as Nora grinned proudly from her bed

With a huff, Weiss took her place at the bed, at least it was furthest from the racket loving redhead.  
Offering a glance to the boy on the bed opposite her, still all ears as images from the past flooded back to her as she remembered  
the previous time Jaune and her had shared a room.

What had it been? Two years? It seemed like only yesterday she had been bringing hot chocolate to the boy shivering beneath the blankets. Recalling it brought back a bit of the guilt she felt about why he had suffered, though she knew now that Jaune didn't hold anything against her.  
She couldn't help but smile as that thought temporarily eased her stress.

To be honest, she was looking forward to it, even if there were a few other guests present.  
A sudden thought occurred, breaking her from her stupor, wasn't she meant to talk about something with Jaune?  
Despite her attempts, she found she couldn't quite pinpoint what exactly it was.

"-oh, actually that reminds me, Jaune. About before..." Ren began as Weiss's eyes shot open, Jaune simply looked up with a quizzical expression  
"What is it?" he questioned innocently as Ren thought about how exactly he should word it

"When we were fighting against the Death Stalkers, you did something that made that water freeze, and back when Ruby and Pyrrha were falling,  
there was miraculously a pile of snow there to cushion their fall. I didn't see you use any kind of weapon, so I was wondering, what exactly  
did you do?"

There was a small silence as Jaune contemplated his answer, before he nodded decisively and began to explain  
"Well, you see, it's actually a funny story, it all started-"  
"JAUNE!" Weiss near-shrieked, realizing now exactly what it was that she wanted to talk to him about.

Noticing that all eyes were currently on her, Weiss coughed abruptly, regaining her composure before standing up and heading over to  
the wooden door behind her, turning to Jaune, she addressed him in as innocent a tone as she could muster.

"Oh Jaune, would you come with me for a bit? I need your help with something" she forced a smile as Jaune looked at her skeptically  
"...In the bathroom?" Jaune asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable as Weiss went a light shade of pink at the implication  
"Listen, uh. I care about you, you know. And I would normally love to help you out... But I think that might be pushing it a bit"

Resisting the urge to scream into the closest pillow, Weiss grabbed the boy roughly by the arm and dragged him to the other door that lead out into the hallway

"Oh just hush and come with me, you dunce!" she yelled as the poor boy was dragged out of sight, leaving the remaining pair wide eyed and considerably confused.

"Um, what just happened?" Nora aksed, scratching her head confusedly as Ren looked down in mild disappointment  
"It's probably nothing, don't worry about it" Ren answered as he pretended to attend to his firearms, his mind elsewhere.

It seemed that building up team trust would be more difficult than he had initially thought.

* * *

The wondrous and eye catching day to day life of Beacon Academy was quite the thing to witness, as Jaune had only been around when the rest of the students hadn't yet arrived. Everywhere you looked there was something new, huntsman and huntresses of all variations working on improving the unique qualities of their hand crafted weapons, learning about the complexities of this world and its resources in the form of dust, building up their endurance and fighting skill through arduous training all throughout the day.

Well, those would be nice to focus on, if Jaune wasn't currently being hauled through the school grounds like a disobedient child as his captor dragged him all the way to the only place in which they could talk privately, the library, earning many odd looks on the way over as he was practically dragged across the dirt with no idea what was going on nor the purpose for the impromptu kidnapping.

Offering a sheepish wave to the librarian who wasn't his biggest fan after his entrance through the ceiling not a few days before, he was dragged into the seemingly leas inhabited corner and was forcibly sat into a seat opposite the heiress, who looked around suspiciously before turning back to him.  
"Jaune, I think we need to talk about your power" she began seriously as Jaune listened, slightly concerned by the tense atmosphere

"What do you mean?" he asked nervously as Weiss lent in to make sure she was heard  
"Let's face it, your power it isn't normal, neither is the way you acquired it for that matter.  
What you did, fusing the dust with yourself, its not completely unheard of, but it is heavily looked down upon.

I'm just worried that it might affect how others here treat you" she stated, earning a look of surprise from  
the boy as he had never thought it would be viewed like that.

In a world where practically ever huntsman and huntress is unique, he'd always just assumed that his ability would be accepted without question,  
how was it different from Weiss's glyphs or any other semblance?

Jaune placed two fingers to his chin in contemplation, wouldn't that be a bit unfair? "_Unfair?"  
_Jaune's eyes widened as images of a black haired huntress in a bow darting around the treetops came back to him.  
"_The faunus are faced with injustice every day, we are always looked down upon as lesser beings!"_

That's right, the faunus weren't treated equally, because they were different, because they could do things that others couldn't.  
What quickly followed were images of the faces of everyone he'd met since coming to Beacon, Ruby and Yang, Flame-Girl, Ren and Nora... would they really see him differently?

While he definitely didn't want to believe that, a part of him, the self conscious, self doubting part that he'd thought he'd overcome couldn't quite shake  
off the feeling that it could just be true.

"So you're saying..." Jaune spoke, breaking the silence that had followed the girl's thought provoking statement as Jaune looked down at his hands  
"I shouldn't tell them about my power?" he asked, causing Weiss to feel a little sad inside at his melancholy tone before replying in a rare, caring tone that she often surprised him with.

"Just for now... I know that it doesn't make you any less than the rest of us, in fact it's just part of what makes you special, what makes you Jaune.  
We just have to wait until we're sure they see it that way too, okay?" she spoke, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder as he nodded slowly.

"Then, how will I fight without revealing it?" Jaune asked, causing a spark of confidence to appear in the heiress's eyes as she offered a proud smirk  
"I'd already considered that" with this she pointed to the sheathe strapped to his side "There are students here with things like fire swords, so  
we can just say that it's a dust application of your weapon!" she finished with a smug expression as she lifted her index finger, much like a teacher would.

"You just have to pretend to draw the power from it before you attack and no one will be any wiser, just make sure you don't forget.  
Also, I assume you still carry it for a reason? My guess is you have learnt at least some techniques using it, yes?" she asks  
as Jaune nods affirmatively, having learnt one or two sword tricks using his power in his two years spent training.

For a while after that, the two sat in silence as Jaune took in everything the heiress had said as Weiss inspected him in an effort to decipher  
just what was going through his head, she didn't like seeing Jaune like this but if the worst were to happen and he were to suffer more, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

After a good minute or so, Weiss stood up, tapping the quiet boy on the shoulder to stir him as he awoke with a start, earning a light giggle from the heiress  
"Come on, we still have to unpack, remember? And god forbid we leave the decorating to Nora" she joked as Jaune chuckled, getting to his feet also as the pair left the library and began to make their way back to their dorm.

* * *

As they made their way back, passing the now familiar training grounds, Jaune found himself turning to look behind him on more than one occasion, unable to shake the feeling that he was being watched. Upon the third time, he scanned the area around him intricately, seeing no obvious culprit, seeing nothing but other students going about their everyday duties.

After a few more seconds of seeking his pursuer, his eyes finally landed on a nearby bench facing away from them with a student sitting with her back to them, his eyes being drawn to the little black bow that sat upon her head. Feeling compelled to discuss something with her, he turned to Weiss.  
"Hey, would you mind going back without me? There's something I want to check out"

The heiress looked at him suspiciously, but nonetheless relented, telling him to hurry back before continuing on her own as Jaune waited until she was out of sight before making his way over and taking a seat next to the girl that had been tailing him since the library.  
"Jaune, what brings you here?" she greeted, earning an unimpressed look from the newbie huntsman as she sighed, conceding defeat.

"I wanted to talk to you, but first things first, we're relatives now?" she asked, unable to fathom just why Jaune had decided upon that as their cover story.  
"...Sorry, it was the first thing that came to mind" Jaune offered weakly as he scratched his head bashfully  
Blake wasn't exactly impressed with his answer but supposed it couldn't be helped now.

"So why did you do it?" Blake looked over to the teen who fidgeted nervously at that, taking a few seconds to respond  
"I... I don't really blame you for... back then" he begun slowly, causing Blake to avert her eyes as she tried to suppress the memories of her past life,  
which she would really rather forget altogether.

"But Weiss, while she may not always show it, she is kind of protective over me. And I'm just thinking that she might... misunderstand, if she were  
to find out how we met" he spoke, allowing Blake to fill in the details herself.

"I see, but, you are going to have to tell her at some point, aren't you? It wouldn't take a detective to figure out  
that we come from completely different origins, plus, we don't even share the same name" she mused truthfully as Jaune twiddled his thumbs  
with a guilty expression.

"I know, I just want to make sure there's no chance of anything... bad happening between you two" he muttered quietly as Blake nodded  
understandingly, the concept of friends was somewhat new to her, but already she knew that they were precious and would hate to  
lose as single one... however.

"I know how you feel, but... maybe you should try and have a little faith. I mean, you know Weiss better than anyone.  
If you can't be sure how she will react, then you'll just have to depend on her" the faunus stated simply, getting up to leave as Jaune watched  
her with a stunned look.

He watched her begin to walk off as he stared down at the ground in thought.  
She was right, he'd just have to trust Weiss and believe that she'd do what's right when the time comes.  
They were partners after all...

Though the smile that had been budding upon his face soon disappeared when he thought back to his discussion with the heiress.

_"I'm just worried it might affect how others here treat you"_  
_"We just have to wait"_

He could trust Weiss, he knew that, but...

Remembering what he had yearned to ask, Jaune called out to the faunus, stopping her in her tracks as she turned back to him  
"What is it?" she asked curiously as Jaune couldn't meet her gaze, almost afraid to ask, but inside, he knew that he had to know.

"Why do you wear a bow?"

Whilst to any passerby, the question would seem innocent as asking the weather, but as  
their gazes met, both full of intensity and uncertainty, both knew the connotations that the inquiry carried.  
The bow that concealed what she was and who she used to be, from friends and foes alike  
"I..." Blake was hesitant, to be honest, she didn't really have an answer.

"Sorry" Jaune spoke, breaking the temporarily silence as Jaune looked at him in surprise  
"It's not really my place to ask things like that, I just... I don't know. Forget I asked" he said quietly as the question remained unanswered.

However both of them knew the answer, they had only just met the rest of their friends and no matter how kind of considerate they may appear,  
it takes more than one trip in a deathtrap forest to get to know someone.

* * *

"Erm... I, uh. I... like what you did with the place?" Jaune offered uneasily as he was met with the sight of a teamroom divided- _literally.  
_Right down the middle was the cutoff point, with regal decor and intricate organization fashioning one side, and a collection of cuddly  
toys and posters littering the other. Who's side was whose wasn't exactly a mystery.

On either side stood two fierce huntresses currently engaged in what Jaune could only think to describe as a death-stare contest as neither side showed any signs of retreat. A poor, impartial Ren sat quietly on his bed, deciding not to be caught in the crossfire.

"I just don't get it! Why can't we just both decorate how we want?" Nora pleaded as she held her stuffed Death Stalker to her chest, protecting it  
from the clutches of the evil princess that sought to take him away. Nora would not stand for it!

"Because-!" spoke said evil princess "For one, it's entirely inconsistent with the sophisticated theme I was _attempting _to set" she pointed at the various  
sets of prestigious literature that adorned the bookshelves and crystal blue tabletops that now covered the desks, that sat below  
a particularly eye catching painting illustrating a dark wood painted in varying shades of dark crimson.

"Two, do you really think your... selection... is a suitable representation of upcoming Huntsmen and Huntresses?"  
Then... there was _Nora's _side. It was definitely, well, different.

Lining the shelves on Nora's side were a collection of stuffed animals, ranging from your innocent enough teddy bear to a fearsome looking nevermore,  
what kind of toy company sold cuddly soulless monsters was a topic for another time.

Mirroring Weiss's artistic painting was a large poster with a collection of rather odd looking guys standing in a boy band  
inspired stance with the underlying title 'The Achieve Men' , that poster seemed really popular nowadays...

Drawn across the large window was a streamer, colored half-light purple, half-white with the fitting words "GO TEAM LAVENDER-WHITE!" scrawled across it.  
Jaune had to admit, he felt an odd sense of pride from looking at the little project but he could do without all the fluff filled friends that seemed to  
be overrunning that half of the room.

"Oh I am hurt, and shocked! And maybe a little bit sleepy" Nora yawned, wiping her eyes as she felt the fatigue that came as a consequence  
of swinging around a grenade launcher slash hammer hybrid all day.

"Don't fall asleep! This is a very serious issue and no one will get any rest until it is resolved!" Weiss fixed her a stern glare, but her commands  
fell on deaf- or rather too-tired-to-care ears as Nora spun on her heel before diving onto her bed, landing on the bed-sheets with a thump as  
she instantly fell into deep slumber.

"Wha- Oh you insufferable little orange-" Weiss scowled at the sleeping girl, but decided to repress her anger... for the time being.  
"I would try to get used to that, there's no use in using logic against her" spoke Ren, looking up from his book for the first time  
"She has the right idea, though, we should get some rest, team Pyro-Black went to bed as soon as they got back. We should follow suit"

Jaune and Weiss blinked in confusion at the unfamiliar name before remembering who was left to make up the last team, Pyrrha, Yang, Ruby and Blake.  
It seemed that each team had names in similar formats, the use of color was unorthodox but a team of fiery redheads and a mysterious girl in black,  
combined with the burning passion of the blond, and 'Pyro-Black' seemed rather fitting.

"Well I suppose Pyrrha would want her team to be well-rested for their first day" Weiss stated, however Ren shook his head.  
"Actually, Ruby is their team leader" he informed the pair, who responded with wide eyes as Weiss couldn't help  
but consider the possibility that Ozpin deliberately chose the most unconventional leaders for each team.

* * *

As the newly formed team settled down for the night, with Jaune changing into some black pajama pants Ren had kindly offered him  
after witnessing the spectacle that was the snow haired boy's light blue onesie.

Whilst already dressed, Jaune decided to wait for Weiss to be ready before going to sleep himself, a choice he soon regretted  
as another half hour passed and the heiress still wasn't done. He'd thought his trials were over when the noise of the shower had halted.

However his relief was short lived as the heiress remained in the bathroom for the next 20 minutes, though to a thoroughly  
sleep deprived Jaune it may as well have been a few years of struggling desperately to keep himself awake.

Just as he was on the verge of slipping into unconsciousness, a click was heard as the bathroom door lock disengaged and the heiress sauntered out, clad in her light blue nightgown with her usually styled hair now hanging free falling down past her shoulders as she sat herself down upon her bed next to his and pulled the covers over her, turning away from him as her breathing became steadily quiet.

As she seemed to drift off, Jaune found he couldn't remember just why he had waited for her, though even if he did, he'd be damned  
if he was to wake her up, possibly literally depending on her mood.

Turning to stare at the ceiling, Jaune was reminded of a time similar to this, but different in a variety of ways.

* * *

_Feeling the unrelenting cold as the numerous blankets did little to help his state, shaking forcefully beneath the sheets as he tried his best to endure it._  
_The never ending chattering of his teeth and lack of breath were almost torture as he continued to suffer. But there was one saving grace._

_"Jaune, here, drink this, quickly, before it cools" as the blankets were removed, restoring his vision, his first sight was that of a by all appearances princess looking at him with concern evident in her look as she held out a steaming mug to him, urging him to take it._

_Yes, there was her. The reason he had to remain strong. The random girl that had fallen from the sky that he had found purely by chance,_  
_the two hadn't known each other for even 5 minutes before they were running for their lives together. He had done something pretty drastic to protect her,_  
_and now here he was. Alive, but suffering all the same._

_Luckily, she hadn't abandoned him as soon as he'd served his purpose, instead she now spent her time that could easily be better spent, she was_  
_the victim of a terrorist attack after all, she was separated from her family in an unfamiliar town. She should be frantically making calls in order_  
_to be rescued immediately._

_He looked over to her, fluffing his pillows and checking his temperature, with apparently nothing else than his welfare occupying her mind._

_Yet her she was, playing nurse for him like he was an incompetent child. He didn't like causing her trouble but he knew he wouldn't be able_  
_to sway the stubborn heiress as she insisted he stayed in bed until he got better. Whenever that would be._

_Still, he wished his teeth would stop clashing for one minute so he could express what he wanted to say the entire time,_  
_such simple words that he found himself unable to utter._

_He promised himself that as soon as he was better, he would say it... finally, he would say..._

* * *

Jaune shut his eyes as he felt drowsiness come upon him, he smiled as he relished in the fact he now had a comfortable bed to sleep in, which hadn't  
been the case since they had visited the bed and breakfast.

As he gave in to his tiredness, he muttered a few, barely audible, last words  
_"Thank you, Snow Angel"_

Unbeknownst to him, a certain heiress grew a tiny, almost unnoticeable smile as she tucked in to her covers. Finally able to rest for the night.

* * *

**Hey guys, hope you enjoyed! No action in this chapter, but in the world of RWBY you know a fight scene is always around the corner.  
****In response to a few reviews...**

**Guest- "So does Jaune not have his shield anymore? If not what happened to it? I don't remember reading that he lost it."**

**Yes, he doesn't use it anymore because he uses a new technique that he utilized in chapter 3 (Meltdown Part One) against Blake**  
**The absence of it is brought up in Weiss in chapter 10 (The Heiress and the Huntsman)**

**Curious Viewer-**

**"I still really want to know what exactly happened to Jaune in the years since that night he met Weiss, and his thought process which led to abandoning his family. Maybe he never felt like he really belonged there, or felt unimportant, making him want to leave and find his own path?"**

**Yeah I plan to go into that a bit more as the story progresses. Thank you for the review and stay tuned!**

**Want to also thank Dracohalo117 for constructive criticism, I will take that into account, thank you.**

**If anyone else has any questions they want answered or have anything to say, either PM me or leave a review if you please and I promise to**  
**take a look at them and respond ASAP.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	13. Reflection in The Ice

_With a sigh, Jaune collapsed on his bed, instantly regretting it as he met the rock hard mattress, but was too exhausted to care too much.  
He had hoped to reach the next town within the hour but fate had had other plans apparently as he found himself stuck in a field with layers of thick snow up to his thighs, trudging along for what seemed like hours before he made it._

_Lanchia, the town he had just made it to was yet another quiet, docile area without much activity of any variety. About a dozen miles from his home village, close enough so that he could keep tabs on the general area, but far enough that he wouldn't have to worry about running into any familiar faces._  
_It was perfect._

_After unpacking what little baggage he had lugged along, Jaune made his way to the small bathroom that came with the rented room, switching on the flickering light bulb and making the water hadn't frozen over from the poor insulation and below zero temperatures._

_Confident that he'd at least be able to keep himself clean for the time being, Jaune turned to the fogged mirror and let out a warm breath of air before wiping it with his arm, removing the built up condensation and taking a look at himself._

_For a second, he wondered if it was someone else looking back at him._

_Just a few months earlier, what would have faced him was a cheerful blond boy with bright eyes and an innocent grin that lit up the room._  
_What he stood opposite now was a much darker imitation. Snow white skin and disheveled white hair, piercing blue orbs surrounded by heavily blackened eyelids, devoid of his previous pluck, matching his bleak surroundings._

_As he envisioned what, or who, he had used to be, memories of playing with his sisters, laughing in the snow and being told epic tales in order to coax him to bed at night rose to the surface of his mind. Along with it images of him sneaking into his home, packing his things and leaving without a word._

_He often considered going back, by now he had all but forgotten just why he had so suddenly departed from his home. Perhaps he hadn't wanted them to reject what he had become, he was meant to be the next hero of the Arc family, one who rode into battle with nothing but sword and shield as he fearlessly cut his enemies down._

_As Jaune raised a finger, willing a small, levitating snowflake to appear, glistening in the darkness, he knew he was no longer fit for that role._  
_Perhaps when he'd learnt to control it, he could return. But until then..._

_Pulling out the disposable tablet he had been assigned, Jaune brought up the job menu, seeing that someone had requested help with a gang of Boarbatusk outside of the nearby wood, Shiverrin Forest._

_After his time spent with the girl he had rescued from a plane wreck in the middle of a forest, Jaune had been in quite a few dangerous situations, risking his life almost every day he spent with her. Not that he regretted it, of course._

_He now knew that to survive in this world, he had to be strong, and to do that, he had to have training. And now that he had all but alienated one of the strongest families of huntsman know to man, options weren't exactly limitless._

_Thus he had resorted to this, cheap mercenary work. If someone had a pesky monster related issue they needed taking care of and didn't have the money or time for real huntsman, they could send a message that would appear on your tablet if you were in the area._

_He had a hard time getting in, a boy of fifteen with next to no experience apart from jumping off cliffs and freezing puddles for bad guys to slip on, of course his temporary skirmish with the White Fang members worked well for his case, it was a display of his unique ability that ultimately got him into the field._

_Reasonable pay and a fine way to train was what occupied Jaune's mind. He would live this way until he got stronger. Strong enough so that he could become what she had told him to become. A true huntsman._

_Feeling his stress fade ever so slightly, Jaune picked up his sword, leaving behind the shield as he had found a better and admittedly cooler defense technique, quite literally._

_With that grunt inducing pun in mind, he stepped out of his temporary home and begun to make his way over to the nearby wood, ready to face whatever was waiting, at Shivverin Forest._

* * *

Fluttering his eyes open, Jaune was greeted with the sight of his new dormroom, soaked by golden sunshine that filled the room, yawning after what was probably his best sleep in the past three years, Jaune stayed where he was, taking it all in.

It was so tranquil, so serene... so-

_**"SYRUP!"**_

Well, all good things...

"Oh what is it now? You are disturbing the other residents!" Came the unmistakable scorn of one Weiss Schnee as she stood, already in her school uniform,  
one that he inwardly had to admit suited her very well, cross armed before a similarly dressed Nora Valkyrie who lent against the cupboards of the kitchen in despair.

"It's our first day! We need syrup, or else, what is a pancake but a mix of eggs and disappointment!" she wailed, a stoic as ever Ren standing by the kitchen counter with a pink apron Jaune guessed was courtesy of Nora as he shook his head.

"Nora, there's no helping it. We can't exactly go buy our own on the first day of school. Plus, don't you think you've had enough?" he stated matter of factly as he looked over at the immense amount of empty plates that surrounded her.

Weiss sighed, not used to such a bodacious waking call as the psychotic pancake nut.

"You two, how many times, must I say, we are a team now, so in order to... co-operate... efficiently, we must have order. And, as a team member, I would like to suggest that we cease the childishness. I will not allow you people to interfere with Jaune and I's time here with your silly antics" Weiss addressed the two formally, the slight venom in her tone not going unnoticed by the boy still in bed.

Ren fixed the heiress with a sharp look as he put down his whisk, in a manner that Jaune was sure was intended to be threatening, but was faced with the issue of the pink-laced apron impeding his efforts.

"I believe it is Jaune and Jaune alone who holds authority over the team, Weiss" he spoke plainly, without signs of aggression but still emanating a slight tension in the air.

"Yeah!" Nora chimed in, regaining her spunk "Jaune's our leader, and you understand the importance of a sweet, hot sauce when it comes to breakfast, don't you, Jaune?" she asked the lump beneath the blanket as it flinched suddenly.

All eyes now turned to the boy who laid still under his covers, desperate not to get involved  
"Hmm-nnmmm, snooore... et cetera et cetera... snowballs.. hmmn-OW, hey!" Jaune yelled as his 'slumber' was interrupted by a signature flick to the forehead from a rather off put looking heiress as her piercing ice blue orbs bore into him.

"Well, Jaune. Whose side are you on? The frolicking fun-lovers over there, or me, the person who's actually _trying _to be professional about this?" she stood, towering over him with a scary expression as Nora and Ren looked over to him.

"Well?" Weiss repeated, waiting expectantly as Jaune looked around for anything to help him get out of the situation.  
"U-uh..." he stuttered, his gaze shifting from the hopeful duo to the impatient heiress before it landed on the clock above the door.  
"Oh, would you look at the time! Gotta get moving so we don't want to be late!"

In a flash, the boy sprang from his covers, dashing over to where his uniform was hung up and grabbed it before rushing into the bathroom, leaving behind  
a gust of wind as a wide eyed group of teens marveled at the speed at which the nervous boy had fled.  
Taking notice of his words, Weiss looked up to the clock, and sure enough, it was 8:25!

With a gasp of horror, Weiss turned her attention towards the mess in the kitchen as a dark aura began to emanate from the heiress  
"Clean. _Now" _She commanded ad Nora frantically stood to attention  
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" she yelped before stuffing another pancake in her mouth, leaving one out for Jaune and putting the rest in the small refrigerator they were allocated.

Ren shook his head before beginning to scrub the plates, wondering just how they would function as a team when it was obvious that a certain someone would much rather them leave.

Right from the start he had seen how she kept to herself, always on guard around anyone she didn't know.  
Scrutinizing them head to toe, never leaving herself open. The complete opposite to the orange haired companion he was used to.  
However there were some moments...

"Jaune! Are you attempting to tarnish our team's reputation on our first day? Just look at yourself!" Weiss fussed as she attempted to fix Jaune's tie  
as he apologized bashfully, receiving a murmured acceptance from the heiress as she tried to make him look at the very least, presentable.

Yes, when she was around him, their leader, she was different. She would still belittle him constantly, of course. But it seemed clear to him that she  
was more relaxed around him, and despite how she may belittle him, she seemed to genuinely enjoy his company.

Ren didn't really know their history, but for now it looked like Jaune was the only one who was able to get through to the girl behind the icy barriers, so he would just have to trust him to keep her in line. Though as their days as huntsmen approached them, he prayed it happen soon, as a team on a mission will mean more than a few messy kitchen counters...

* * *

Huffing and panting, the group sped across the tile pathways, proving once and for all that a forgetful Nora meant at least three more trips back to the dorm before she was certain she had all her supplies, and by the fourth time, she actually did.

Ren frowned, noting how it wasn't exactly a prime display to show Weiss the merits of blind faith in teammates, in fact, if her foul facial expression told him anything, it had only made it worse.

Along the way, they were joined by another foursome as Ruby offered a brief 'how do you do' before joining them in their desperate sprint to lessons.  
At some point, Jaune had found himself leading the group, after all, this was much easier than trying to gain a foothold in 5 ft deep snow, right alongside the quiet as ever faunus.

"Morning... Brother" she greeted, causing the poor boy to almost jump out of his skin as he hadn't noticed the ninja like feline until she had spoken up  
"Oh, hey, uh, sis!" he reciprocated, loudly enough to be heard, and also enough to sound completely forced and worthy of suspicion as Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Smooth" she mused, very skeptical about how the charade would extend "Well, how is your team working out?" she asked mid sprint as Jaune chuckled nervously, not quite sure how to answer that, thinking back to the happy family he had woken up to... or not.

"Ah, well uh... they're good, pretty solid. Just need to work out a few..." turning back, he saw Nora graciously skipping with a hum as she easily passed a storm faced heiress who looked about ready to freeze the girls prancing legs off right then and there  
"...kinks"

"Well, we're relatively the same, Yang comes on quite strong, though Pyrrha seems to balance her out well, though I never expected initiation into a world renowned academy for its prestigious history would be so... chaotic" she spoke truthfully as Jaune couldn't help but agree.

"Yeah, still. I kinda hope it stays this way, sure things might get a little crazy, but hey as long as we're having fun!" he shone a bright smile as Blake's mouth upturned at the end as she felt the same.

"I'm glad I didn't get to kill you that day" she joked as they both shared a laugh before a sharp bark from behind brought them back into running formation, though Jaune still smiled, confident that no matter what came next, he would take on every challenge head on, always courageous, never hesitant, always-

* * *

-bored. Incredibly, irrefutably bored.

That was the feeling that was clearly expressed by the lifeless look on the pale faced boy as his deep blue eyes grew dull as the lesson dragged on and on without any signs of livening up in this lifetime or the next.

Professor Port carried on with his incessant rambling about how he took down a boarbatusk with little more than a rusty spoon and so on and so forth, each tale sounding about twice as unrealistic as the last.

Where the actual learning came in was a question Jaune was sure to remain unanswered as every other student remained blank faced as he, that was excluding two, one the ginger haired girl was already fully asleep and the piercing gaze of the heiress beside him as she urged him to pay attention.

As much as half of his mind urged him to heed her request, the other half wanted him to conserve his brain cells for something actually useful, and it made a very convincing argument.

"...with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!" the professor smile proudly, taking a graceful bow before the class,  
"The moral of the story?" he questioned himself as Weiss's glare was once again focused on the half asleep albino beside her.

"A true huntsman must be honorable!" her gaze intensified as Jaune gave her a half-lidded expression, a light amount of drool running down his chin  
"A true huntsman must be _dependable!" _Jaune sighed, lifting his index finger and casting a small snowflake, twirling it in front of him in boredom.  
"A true huntsman must be strategic, well educated and-"  
"Weiss?"

Jaune asked sheepishly, now aware of the fury that was currently being directed towards him.  
"Jaune. Would you happen to know where the valiant leader of my team is? You know, the one who beat two assassins from the White Fang and has control over ice itself_?" _She addressed him sharply as he looked back at her dumbly, raising a finger and pointing it to himself questioningly.

"Oh? Is that so? We'll just see..." with this, she turned back to the professor with a worrying grin as Jaune gulped.  
"...So who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" the teacher asked the group, receiving blank expressions from all present, all except one.

"_He_ does, sir!" Weiss proclaimed, holding up Jaune's arm to volunteer her victim as he looked up, startled  
"Wait wha-" he began, only to be silenced as Weiss intensified her vice grip, having no intention of letting him escape.

"Well then! Let's find out!" Professor Port spoke with glee, drawing Jaune's attention to the large steel cage with glowing red eyes piercing through the darkness at him. Funny, you'd think that's be more noticeable...

Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, Jaune picked himself up and, after a quick change of attire, dragged himself to the front of the classroom, taking his position on the opposite side of the room to whatever lurked in the dark corners of the cage, maintaining a good distance before arming himself and locking his gaze with the demonic beast.

Now stood, in his regular black hoodie with light body armor and purple sleeves, in his right hand his humble appearing blade, his other arm left intentionally free as he took the stance he had practiced meticulously in the previous years.

"Go for it Jauney!" came the ecstatic encouragement from the row he had come from as Nora gave him a large thumbs up and a daring grin as the boy to her left simply nodded to Jaune, wishing him the best in his battle.  
"Vive le Lavender White!"

As expected, Weiss wasn't joining in with the cheers of comraderie either, instead focusing all her attention on Jaune, head to toe, she was observing him.  
Well, she had high expectations of him, at least, that was nice... in a twisted kind of nice that meant placing him in a life or death experience to make sure she was correct or not.

In that case, he'd just have to show her.

"Alllllright" The Professor spoke, pulling out his axe-gun monstrosity of a weapon as he swung it down, breaking the lock and causing one side of the gate to collapse to the floor with a thud as a snarl signaled the arrival of the black beast as two ivory tusks emerged from the darkness.  
Jaune smiled, this brought him back.

What was the name of the place? It was something like silver, or shiver...The name escaped him but what he did remember was the beasts he found there.  
And exactly how to deal with them.

With a squeal, the beast escaped its confines, hurtling towards Jaune as he sidestepped the charge, slashing his sword across the creature as it sped past, but this one seemed to be aware of its own weakness and made an effort to shield his underside by twisting his body at the last second, causing Jaune's blade to bounce off of the formidable exo-skeleton.

"Clever girl" Jaune quipped, his well-timed reference falling flat with the black hearted creature as it swiveled around, repeating the same action, but this time, Jaune didn't have enough time to react.

The crack of metal hitting bone echoed through the room as Jaune's sword became caught in the Grimm's thrashing tusks. With a quick glance over to Weiss, Jaune conceded that it wouldn't be out of the realms of what he promised her and fixed his eyes back, his gaze sharpening as he began to concentrate.

A low crackling was heard as a layer of spreading ice suddenly coated the monster's heaving tusks as his sword emanated a white frost.  
Eyes went wide in the classroom as the ice that had appeared out of nowhere began to freeze over the raging monster before it gave  
an almighty tug, pulling itself loose from the swordsman as the ice ceased to spread, his tusks remaining completely frozen, however.

"Oho! Haven't seen that before!" came the unfazed response from the professor as he marveled at the development before him with mirth evident in his tone.  
Jaune gave a small grin to Weiss, who was also in awe, but wasn't as shocked as she had seen him do this countless times.  
Not enough then?

Deciding a flashy show of power wasn't going to win him any points this time, Jaune decided to end this quickly, with _tactics.  
_The sophisticated ones love that kind of thing, so he'd heard.

Realizing its main weapons were now effectively rendered useless, it had to resort to another attack, taking a sudden leap into the air, the monster came down into a roll, beginning to barrel its way over to Jaune as he discretely held his arm towards the floor in front of him, channeling a small amount of power into the ground as the beast closed their distance.

However, just as it appeared that he was about to become the welcome mat for the next class, the black furred bowling ball suddenly veered off course, crashing into the side of the classroom and landing in an upside down heap, leaving its weak spot open.

Without a moment's hesitation, Jaune grabbed his blade and ran over, plunging his blade into its underbelly as it let out one last bellowing squeal before falling limp, the devilish glint lost from its eye as the ice that coated the floor around where Jaune had stood became visible.

"Bravo! BRAVO! It seems you were right, Miss Schnee! We are indeed in the presence of a true huntsman in training!" the professor addressed the girl, who simply nodded, apparently satisfied as Jaune let out a sigh of relief, glad that at least he was still in her good books... well for the time being.

* * *

"Wow Jaune, why didn't you tell us you had an ICE SWORD!? That is so mega ultra cool!" Ruby chirped, eyeing the weapon upon Jaune's waist as he placed his hand on it protectively, afraid of a sudden swipe from the excited redhead.

"Ice, huh? That's pretty _cool, _I guess..." Yang mused, smiling to herself, growing impatient when the laughter that should have followed never came  
"Ah-hem, I _said-"_

"That reminds me" Ren interjected, earning a 'hm?' from the albino "Would that have anything to do with what happened with the Death Stalkers during initiation?" he asked as he was met with a blank look from the other teen as he tried to recall the events that transpired that day.

A swift kick from underneath the table courtesy of the heiress 'jogged his memory'.  
"Oh yeah! No, yeah, that would explain that without need of further suspici-... I mean, yes, yes it was" he finished unnaturally, unnerving all present before Blake spoke up.

"Well then, I think the 'volunteer' is still awaiting your verdict, Miss Schnee" Blake addressed the heiress, who looked taken aback by the girl in black's deductions about her motives before dismissing it as a lucky guess and clearing her throat elegantly. Calling all attention to her as Jaune looked to her eagerly for his judgement.

"You were moderately sufficient, though next time, don't take so long" she critiqued, causing sighs all round at the censored praise as Jaune simply smirked, nodding in content as he knew that was just how she was.

He was proud to have reinstated her faith in him, but still, seeing the contrast between what he was capable of in a classroom with no snow or cold anywhere, it just reminded him of back then, and what he was _truly_ capable of.

* * *

_At Shivverin forest, a cold wind howled throughout the trees as the thick snowstorm obscured the sight before him, yet he still saw it clear as crystal.  
Scattered around were legions of black furred bodies devoid of life that lay in the thick white snow, already half buried in its pure pigment._

_There in the center, with swaying white hair and icy blue eyes that almost seemed to glow threateningly throughout the storm, carrying a cruel and relentless force in them that would make any man cower in their presence._

_Jaune felt one with the blizzard, a force of nature that destroys anything in its past, leaving behind a beautifully white scene of disaster, leaving nothing else behind. _

_In the eye of the snowstorm, Jaune began to wonder just how powerful he was able to be, and just what in the world had he become?  
_

* * *

****

**Hey guys, sorry if this is a little late, been busy with exams and surprise visits to Scotland and haven't had much time to write.  
To reply to a review I neglected to reply to in PM**

**Spartacus400- I decided this because I had to think about team dynamics so I didn't mess them up too much. In this case, I swapped the multi-talent, multi-range fighters Pyrrha and Weiss because both could work well in the other team.**

**I didn't like the idea of having Ruby on a team without her sister and I believe having all three members of RWBY excluding Ruby with Jaune would upset the balance too much. Plus I think the chemistry works better this way. **

**Plus, just because they are in separate teams doesn't mean they won't be interacting in school as well as on joint missions and other things that may or may not occur in the future, plus with Yang I need a way to fit in horrible ice puns, now don't I?**

**Between you and I... and anyone who is still reading to this point, there actually WAS a while when I considered having those two on his team, so I know where you are coming from, so trust me when I say they won't be neglected.**

**If anyone else anything they'd like to ask, please leave a review and I promise I'll get back to you... eventually.**


	14. Cold Serving

When Jaune woke up this morning, did he expect to be faced with the sight of a titanium mace, wielded by the brute he had previously bumped into, quite literally so, leaving an understandably sour first impression, being swung down to crush his cranium and other vital parts of his skeletal structure?

No, no he didn't.

Just as it was about to come into contact, Jaune's instincts kicked in and he flung himself to the side into a roll, ending up crouched behind his opponent who was currently attempting to pry his obscenely destructive weapon from the wooden floor it had embedded itself in.

Taking this opportunity, Jaune pulled out his sword and swung it at the struggling teen, his aura and armor softening the blow but still managing to send him tumbling into a heap, his hand still firmly gripping the hilt of his trapped weapon.

Having finally toppled the goliath, Jaune raised his left fist, confusing those present as Jaune didn't strike them as the brute force type, however it turns out a simple punch was not what the boy had in mind as a powder blue mist appeared over his clenched fingers as they began to be enveloped in ice that formed and icy gauntlet around his fist.

From the stands of awestruck spectators, Blake remembered when she had seen it before, when she had attacked him in the forest and he used it as a substitute for his shield, but from the way things were going, it looked like he could use it for offensive purposes as well.

Seeing the icy structure hovering dangerously above him, Cardin tugged at the hilt once more, putting all his strength into one final effort as it began to give way, whilst Jaune, caught up in the joy he received from pulling off the technique, pulled back his fist before thrusting his arm towards the boy's face.

Only to be interrupted by a great mass crashing into his side, sending him barreling off the stage, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Frustrated at the boy having, even if only temporarily, gaining the upper hand, Cardin heaved himself up with a scowl, lifting his weapon and approaching the edge of the stage where he would finish off the insect. Before he was able to drop his mace onto the groaning boy below, Glynda called out

"Enough!" she exclaimed as Cardin reluctantly returned his weapon, reassuring the professor that young Jaune's ribs would live to see another day before turning to the spectators "Now, as you can see, Mr Arc's aura has dropped down into the red, perhaps next time he should not let his confidence get the better of him" she spoke formally, though Jaune felt the sting from her passive aggressive berate.

Meanwhile, in the stands, a certain flame haired huntress and green suited huntsman sat in awe at what they had just witnessed, Ren looked contemplative, was Jaune really able to pull that power from his sword like he'd told them? Was that even possible?

Pyrrha was as impressed as she was when she first witnessed the spectacle, though he had told her immediately about his talent, so why had he told the others that it was from his weapon? She couldn't quite place a finger on a definite reason, but something told her it had something to do with the  
Schnee Heiress that took up most of his time nowadays...

Both were led to the same hypotheses, was Jaune hiding something from them?

* * *

"So... do you have two sets of ears?" Jaune was sat with Blake in the cafeteria, having arrived earlier than the others and were currently sitting on their own, and Jaune decided that he just had to know. She looked back at him with a scowl.

"We are not discussing this" she spoke indignantly, turning back to her novel in an attempt to block out the boy's questioning.  
"Sorry, I just thought it was cool, I wish I had four ears, I could hear EVERYTHING people said, like that Dare Rebel guy on Webflix" he fantasized as Blake looked up to him again with a sharp look

"You have ICE in your genetic make-up, I think you've got enough special abilities for the time being" she stated before returning to her book as Jaune shrugged, laying on his arms and looking off into space. Well, he supposed she was right.

Jaune sighed as he thought back to his fight with one Cardin Winchester earlier that day, he had taken on multiple assassins and come out on top but couldn't beat your everyday school bully, maybe he'd grown accustomed to fighting hordes of average Grimm and had lost his touch when it came to one on one combat.

Though from what he'd heard when half knocked out earlier, Glynda mentioned an upcoming trip to some 'Forever Fall' place, or maybe she was just giving a cute nickname to what Jaune had just been through. He really would prefer it to be the latter...

"Umm, Jaune?" A red gloved hand waved in his peripheral vision, causing the boy to look up from his stupor to see the flame-haired girl looking at him with a worried expression.

"Are you alright? You haven't contributed to the conversation for the last five minutes" Initially confused by her statement, Jaune looked around the table to see 5 new pairs of eyes focused on him, causing Jaune to nearly shriek in horror.

"When did you guys get here?!" he questioned frantically as the remaining members of Lavender White and Pyro Black now joined them in the time he had spent in his stupor.

"The better question is, what kind of leader doesn't notice when the rest of his team sits at his table?" Weiss scorned, offended at the apparent lack of manners the boy was displaying.

"Well actually I'd say the best question is why you wear a mini tiara and high heels when fighting monsters, but you're right, sorry. Next time I promise I'll give you all the attention you want" Jaune responded honestly, not quite sure when he had started to question those kinds of things as Weiss glared at him for treating her as if she was a spoiled little girl.

"You obviously just don't understand the privileges of elegant combat gear, luckily you are in an academy which teaches you such things, and speaking of which" Weiss spoke, standing up and removing herself from the table before turning back to Jaune "We should get going, class will be starting soon and Oobleck is already half considering giving up on getting anything history related to remain in that skull of yours"

Jaune hastily swiped an apple from his tray and got up to join the heiress, but before the duo could leave, Pyrhha spoke up  
"Wait a moment, we will come with you!" she cheerfully suggested as she began to sit up but as Jaune was about to reply

"We'll be fine on our own, thank you" and without any further explanation, Weiss had grabbed hold of Jaune's arm and begun to drag him out the hall who sputtered at her to slow down. Pyrrha's eyes drifted back to the floor as she sat back down, was Weiss really that distrustful of her?

Noting the evident sadness in her eyes, Lie Ren nodded as he confirmed it, something had to be done about the heiress's barrier, else she segregated their leader not just from his team, but all of them. This could not continue, as a teammate and a friend, he had to settle this.

* * *

"Throughout recorded time, there have been accounts of many great huntsman and huntresses, some famed for their minds, some for their might, however, there have also been those who were imprinted in legend as another kind of fighter all together..."

In the brightly lit classroom, a hyperactive professor zoomed around the class, conveying his knowledge at rapid fire speeds as a class of troubled students try desperately to comprehend it. Lie Ren was doing relatively well, marking down the main points of the incessant ramble as Nora, not quite as tactfully as she might assume, took quick glances at his paper before scrawling it down herself.

Next on the row sat one Weiss Schnee, sitting in between them and Jaune as always, keeping a hawk's eye on Jaune to make sure he was paying attention, having already made sufficient notes on the subject. Across the team sat their friend team, with Yang and Ruby giggling away, much to the chagrin of their more studious teammate, Blake.

The spartan in gold remained focused on her studies, which would seem normal to anyone, unless you were observant and had noticed that in previous lessons, Pyrhha had occasionally taken glances behind her to witness the antics of the snow haired boy and his overbearing guardian, but not today.  
Perhaps she felt she was no longer welcome, this was another thing that had to be rectified.

"On some very rare occasions, there have emerged powerful huntsman and huntresses who possess a rather odd power. As we all know, aura is the power of the soul, and dust is the power of nature, but what if you were able to combine these two?" the professor stated as several ears in the audience piqued in interest at those words.

"Dust, is a resource we make use of all around the world, for garments, ammunition and weapons themselves, however there have been instances in which one has used the power of dust, to combine it with their very soul" with this, pairs of sharp lilac, icy blue and honest green eyes all turned to one boy before returning their attention to the lecture that was suddenly very intriguing.

"This has granted a great variety of powers, perhaps the most notably being granting the user synthesis with an entire force of nature, examples being synthesizing with dust forged from fire, granting you the ability to manipulate it at will or even perhaps make it a part of their very being.  
Though scholars such as I have been skeptical of such a concept, it is a definite possibility.

Aura is a direct extension of our soul, and thus it is able to manifest and manipulate the physical world, so it is only natural that it can be, well, manipulated itself. It is unclear just how and under what conditions, but there have been cases in which a person has successfully done this and granted them self a power unlike any other.

However, due to the risks that come with it and the uncertainty of after effects, it is very dangerous and so it is heavily discouraged. It is also viewed in such a way because of certain... actions that have been carried out certain individuals who were consumed by their power and let it control them.

So, I beg of you, please refrain from getting any ideas" Oobleck spoke seriously as Jaune let out a nervous chuckle as Weiss looked... guilty all of a sudden.

"Huh, they sound like a bunch of freaks if you ask me" came the open-minded as always insight from one young Winchester as he laid back in his chair  
"I mean the faunus are born that way so at least they have that, but these guys are doing it by choice, why would you voluntarily wanna become a circus freak like them? It's not natural" he scoffed, as a pair of yellow eyes bore into him from the front.

"And I suppose you've met your fair share? As you seem to have quite an imprinted opinion of them" Blake pried as Cardin simply scoffed  
"Don't have to. Only a total wackjob would do that kind of thing to them self" he said as the girl besides Jaune looked down at her desk, her bangs hiding her expression from all except one.

A hand was suddenly on top of hers as she turned her head to see Jaune giving her a small sad smile, which she should have felt warmed by if not for the cold temperature of his touch being a cruel reminder of what she had made him become.

* * *

As the class filed out in the usual manner, Jaune was exiting with Weiss, with the casual bump on the shoulder from Cardin to send Jaune off on his way, earning a sharp glare from the heiress as she supported him to prevent him from falling down. He smiled gratefully at her but she simply sighed, sometimes the boy was just too helpless.

Just as they were about to make their way back to their dorm together, something took hold of Jaune's blazer and without time to even check who it was he was whisked backwards, away from the heiress who exclaimed "Hey!" as the huntsman was snatched from her grasp and pulled down the corridor and around the corner, out of sight.

Ren looked back, wide-eyed, he knew she was impulsive but this was rather extreme... maybe his intervention wasn't necessary after all.

* * *

Hearing the door to the rooftop slam shut, Jaune was finally released from his grip as he turned to face his captor, ready to defend himself if necessary. However instead of one of Cardin's lackeys like he would have expected, there in front of him stood a familiar girl smiling sheepishly back at him.

"...Flame-Girl?" he asked as she nodded, Jaune had wondered how one of Cardinal Red's members was able to attain such monster strength with such speed, this made more sense as he knew that this girl was in an entire league of her own when it came to that.

"I'm sorry, I know it was wrong of me to drag you here without asking but, I need to ask you something" she admitted bashfully as Jaune could hear the nervousness in her tone, he decided to hear her out.

"When you first showed me your power, I thought it was spectacular, even if it was a little unusual, I thought it was beautiful. You have a gift, Jaune.  
So why, why are you hiding it from the rest of us?" At this, Jaune looked down, unable to meet her pleasing gaze.

"It's not like I enjoy keeping it a secret, but these powers, and the reason I have them. The reason... I stole them, they are personal, to me and to Weiss as well. It's something that I've done a lot of good with, but at a cost" Jaune grimaced as he thought back to the house he used to call home, the home he left behind.

"Jaune, I don't know what you've been through. But when we met I saw it, you were happy with your power, you felt joy from showing me what you could do, it is personal because its part of who you are, and none of us will judge you for that. And I think you think so too, so, is... is _Weiss _part of the reason you won't say anything?" Pyrhha asked, and was met with silence that told her everything.

"She's just looking out for me, you heard what Oobleck said. People who have done what I have are looked down upon, those certain individuals? They don't sound like your model huntsmen to me. I... I can't take that risk" Jaune spoke, though to Pyrrha it seemed as though he cursed the words that left his mouth, like they weren't his, but instead...

"Is that your choice, or _her's_?" she questioned, Jaune didn't reply "Listen, I know you two are close but you can't let Weiss control you like that, she's not your only friend anymore, you have teammates now, and Ruby, Yang and Blake too. And me... Think about that, would you? Please"

Jaune looked up at her, he knew she was exactly right, but was it really that easy? Blake hid her ears behind a black bow, regardless of whether or not she was around friends. Still, a part of him still desired for the idealistic, for the possibility that he could truly believe in his new found friends...

"I'll see you later, then" Pyrrha placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder before turning and heading down the stairwell towards the dorms where no doubt a fuming Weiss was scouring the hallways for him.

As Jaune finally decided to follow , the sound of someone heaving them self up from behind caused him to turn to see none other than Cardin Winchester staring back at him with a less than friendly grin gracing his features.

"Oh Jaune" he chuckled, bringing himself up to tower over the teen "I couldn't help but overhear the two of you talking from my dorm room and I gotta say, I'm impressed, man. From what I heard and your little show during combat training, I have a sneaking suspicion that you have had a little, shall we say, fun with dust, and turned yourself into a human snowman"

"Cardin, please, just forget what you just heard, it's not important" Jaune attempted to reason with the taller boy, but was only met by another laugh  
"Oh calm down, I'm not gonna rat out a friend like you, Jauney-Boy!" he exclaimed as Jaune eyed him suspiciously.

"Friends, us?" he asked, Cardin smirked and brought Jaune into a rough headlock, pressing him against his chest  
"The best! And as long as you're there for me when I need you, that's not gonna be changing anytime soon!" he stated proudly, before noticing something off.

Was it getting colder?

Looking down at his arm, Cardin's eyes went wide as the spots where Jaune had been grabbing onto had begun to freeze over, causing Cardin to shove Jaune off of him, onto the floor as he pulled back his now frosty arm.

"Whoa, hey now Jaune. That's not the way to treat your best pal! You wouldn't want me to go show this to Goodwitch now would you?" he threatened, the previous sadistic joy temporarily slipping from his voice as he attempted to defrost his arm.

"Tell you what, I'll forgive you if you handle the extra readings Oobleck gave me to do, sound good?" he spoke, his previous smirk reappearing as he begun to climb down into the open window that led to his dorm room, turning back to Jaune one last time

"Be careful Jaune, you wouldn't want me as your enemy, now would you?" he jeered before disappearing into the building as Jaune clenched his fists, the area around him beginning to grow small layers of frost here and there as a light blue mist began to coat the air.

He sat in anger, not directed at Pyrrha or even Cardin, but at the boy that stared back at him through the frost.

He had thought that when he had changed, he would be different, but no, even after all he'd been through, he remained indecisive and weak, hurting those around him without a second thought. So far he had let this power overcome him, let it shape what kind of life he lived whilst he stayed the same timid blond underneath.

No more. The Jaune Arc in that reflection was not a stranger, it was him, he's not the same as he was before, but that just meant he had changed, the only thing he could do was make the most of it. He had promised Weiss he would become a great huntsman, and now he had a team to look out for as well, there was no sense in dilly dallying, as a certain someone might say.

This was it, he would not hide anymore, there was now nothing that could stand in his way!

From now on, he would make his own decisions, he would be his own man!

A beep from his pocket interrupted his inspirational musings as he pulled it out and opened the touch screen, suddenly, a familiar voice sounded  
_"Heyy, Jauney! Ice-man! It's Cardin, I forgot, rations are running a little low down here in Cardinal Camp, so could you go fetch us some snacks, buddy?"_

...

Juuust as soon as he got Cardin some snacks...

* * *

**The Next Day**

Leaves of pure autumn red coated the sky, floating daintily down to the similarly shaded grass and trees as the group of twelve students plus Glynda trekked through the forest. Jaune whistled, Beacon was renowned for its beautiful architecture and state of the art facilities, but this place was like something out of a work of art.

Jaune struggled not to lose his footing as his new buddies had ever so generously allowed him to carry the crate and collection of glass jars for the entire journey there.

Weiss looked back at him with obvious concern, he tried to return the most hopeful smile he could muster, she simply looked him up and down before turning and walking with the rest of the group, all the while still seeming isolated.

He had to admit, the last few days spent with Cardin and his group of jocks had been... well, as enjoyable as you might think as a slave under the threat of blackmail. Still, it wouldn't be much longer now, the faculty like Ozpin and Goodwitch already knew about his power so the only ones who don't know are the other students, and he'd already made up his mind about them.

Weiss was puzzled, and annoyed, about the sudden secrecy that had emerged from her partner over the last few days. It wasn't like him to keep things from her... well actually yes, it was. But not recently. Initial instincts of course led her to believe he was up to no good and required her intervention, but something about him that night stuck with her, and what he said...

* * *

_"And just WHERE do you think you've been?" No later had Jaune entered the room had he been confronted by the steaming temper of the heiress as her index finger was now pointed directly at his face._

_"Weiss, listen, I-"_  
_"You get dragged off by some random student and don't come back for hours! Do you know how long I spent looking for you? I have studies to do you know, I can't always be frantically running around for you!" she interrupted, Jaune simply smiled at her words, seeing past the harsh tone she presented_

_"You could have been kidnapped, taken hostage, killed or worse and I wouldn't have the slightest idea! I... I was worried-"_  
_It was her turn to be interrupted as Jaune suddenly sprung towards her with a surprise hug, causing her to go red in embarrassment "h-hey, what are you?"_

_"Sorry, Weiss" he whispered "I'm gonna have to go back on what I said earlier, but trust me, it's for the best, okay?"_  
_Weiss didn't respond out of confusion but allowed the words to sink in._

_For a while, they stood there, like they were the only two in the world... well, except for..._

_"...Sooo is he gonna notice that we're here too or...?" Nora asked Ren as he shrugged at her before returning to his desk as Nora copied the action, trying her best to ignore the love-birds at the door._

* * *

"Each of you will gather one jar's worth of red sap, however this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your team-mates, we will rendez-vouz here at four o clock, have fun!" the professor finished as Pyro Black set off together, whilst the three team members of Lavender White looked back expectantly at their leader.

"Come on buddy, let's go!" Cardin urged, grabbing Jaune by the shoulder as the teen looked up at him before turning towards his team, knowing which group he would rather spend his time with. "What's the matter? You _frozen _or something, come on, move it!" he barked.

Weiss's eyes widened, did he just...? Could he know...?

Jaune turned back to Cardin with a scowl on his face, just about ready to tell him exactly what the matter was when a voice interrupted him.  
"Come on, get moving you two, stop wasting time!" Weiss ordered as she dragged the duo off, following the main group away from Jaune and the rest of Cardinal Red.

"...It's nothing, I'm coming" Jaune muttered, following after Cardin as they headed their own separate way.

* * *

"Umph...! Ugh, freaking slave-drivers!"

Part of Jaune was annoyed that he had been left to collect all the jars of tree sap for the group of lazy asses- ahem, best buddies, but a larger part of him was annoyed that he didn't see it coming, they did follow the typical bully handbook to the letter after all.

As he approached the quartet, resting at the bases of the dark red trees, he finally allowed his arms a rest as he dropped the jars of red sap by their feet with a grunt, happy that he was finally done.

Funny, in his old village, he seemed to remember being allergic to stuff like this, though it was probably something else that he had mistaken for the... unmistakable red sap... oh well, he was too tired to pursue that train of thought anyhow.

"_Cool_ job, Jauney boy. Now was that so hard?" he jeered, pleased with his lapdog's work.  
"Not as hard as shoehorning ice puns into all your sentences, but hey, all in a day's work as they say" he cheerfully responded, luckily Cardin didn't seem to be actually listening else he would have probably taken offence to that little comment.

"Great, great, great. Now, I bet you're wondering, why did my good ol buddy Cardin ask me to collect six jars of red sap, when there's only five of us" he spoke as smiles appeared on the rest of the team member's faces.

"That and why a school that trains young warriors to fight monsters of darkness would ever need a supply of red tree sap, yes" Jaune returned honestly, though the smirk that begun to grow on Cardin's face didn't exactly give Jaune the brightest of expectations.

"Well... come with me, and you'll find out"

* * *

Making their way up to the top of a hill overlooking a large clearing, Cardinal Red lay themselves down to hide them from sight.  
Jaune eyed the team leader suspiciously "Cardin... what exactly are we doing here?"

Cardin's eyes shone with malice, he brought out a familiar cardboard box and held it in front of him  
"Payback" he stated simply, eyeing up a certain member of the crowd as Jaune followed his gaze. He froze when he saw her.  
"...Weiss?" he whispered, Cardin grinned at him.

"Yeah, big rich snob. Walking around like she owns the place, and to make it worse, she is constantly harassing our good friend Jaune here, always pushing and ordering him around, with _no _regard for what he wants, treating you like dirt, now it's your turn" he patted Jaune encouragingly.

Jaune's eyes went wide, a cold fury began to build up inside him like a storm. That bastard! He knew that Weiss and him weren't like that, he was doing this just to get at Jaune, for revenge against the boy who dared to almost make him lose a fight, and most likely for a few laughs as well.

"Jaune here managed to gather up a whole bunch of rapier wasps the other night and now we're gonna put them to work!" Cardin smiled, shaking the box a little to anger the things that resided inside.

"How the hell do you collect wasps in a cardboard box?" the one with the weird fringe, Dove, Jaune believed, asked Russell.  
"The same way you are able to see without opening your eyes" he retorted, having always been confused by that.  
"Fair enough" Dove nodded as Cardin smacked Dove up the head.

"Shut it, you two" Cardin barked "Now according to one of the assignments Jaune wrote for me, these nasty little guys looove sweets, and I think it's time Jaune taught _her _a thing or two about respect" standing up, Cardin offered a hand to Jaune, who hesitated before taking it and allowing himself to be roughly pulled to his feet.

This was it, this was the moment, as rage filled his entire being, he steeled his resolve, feeling the anger empower him as he felt the air around him begin to cool and sense the power coursing through him like it had done only once before.

"You should know, Jaune" Cardin thrust the jar into Jaune's hands "Revenge is a dish best served _cold"_

To that, Jaune turned to him, his snow white hair flowing unnaturally in the wind with eyes that glowed a terrifying icy blue glare as a visible mist began to emanate from the boy as he raised an arm towards a shocked Cardin.

_"I couldn't agree more"_

* * *

**Hello! Miss me? No? Forgot completely that this story existed? Fair enough.**

**Been a while since I had an update, sorry about that but with end of year exams and other unrelated excuses, I have found myself a tad pre-occupied, but I hope to get back on track for now at least.**

**Plus, a 5000+ word chapter isn't too shabby, don't you think?**

**As always, I wanna take a little time to respond to the wise words of the reviewers, so here we go**

**Orion's Left Arm: You see, the show was a little vague about the procedure itself, I think the reason is because they want to reveal that Cinder had done it with Fire Dust Crystals and didn't want to give too much away too soon on the complexities.**

**For Jaune, I was deliberately vague because I didn't want to stray from canon TOO far but I hope Oobleck's little talk in this chapter gave a basis for it.**

**About the grammar, yes, I have noticed that when looking back at chapters, I am a relatively unexperienced author so I hope to improve over time, and I do try to amend my grammar when I see mistakes, but sometimes the doc file has been removed by the time I see it and it is rather troublesome to mend. But I will keep a closer eye on it from now on.**

**Thank you and I hope you enjoy the story, Orion.**

**Guest (about the shield) : I'm sorry if it was not to your liking but for my Jaune, I wanted to have freedom in which to vary his fighting style to accommodate for his newfound abilities. I am glad you are enjoying the story, though.**

**Guest (about Bro/Sis Jaune/Blake): I also enjoy the concept, I hope you enjoy their furtherinteractions and development as the story progresses!**

**If anyone else has any queries or comments, leave a review and I promise to get back to any questions either through PM or in my next chapter.**

**THANK YOU FOR READING (AS ALWAYS)!**


	15. A Glimmer of Warmth

"RUN!" yelled the blue haired boy as he clambered from the bushes, followed by his squint eyed and mohican sporting comrades as they fled from the danger behind. Thinking they were in the clear, they turned toward the direction they had come from, seeing nothing past the thick trees and foliage.  
"Y-You think Cardin got away?" Dove asked, receiving nervous looks from his teammates before a tumbling was heard.

"GAHH!" Cardin yelled as he emerged hurtling from the bushes, landing in a heap in front of the rest of Cardinal Red.  
"Jaune's gone crazy!" he yelped as two illuminated icy blue irises shone out from the shadows of the forest as a dark voice sounded.

"_What's wrong, buddy? You're shivering." _Jaune spoke as he walked into the clearing, scaring all present as he approached the fallen boy.  
Panicked, Cardin lifted his arm, going to grab his mace, only to have himself arms restrained as Jaune thrust his arm forwards, sending two ice blasts that froze the boy's wrists to the ground.

"Agh! Hey, get these things off me! They're freezing!" Cardin yelled, the cold of the restraints causing his fingers to numb.  
Jaune didn't look sympathetic.

"_Oh? Well, imagine that, but times a hundred. Enduring endless cold, no matter how many blankets you pull over yourself, your teeth refuse to stop chattering as you begin to doubt you'll ever feel warmth again. It's not nice is it?" _Jaune crouched down, glaring at the teen as he stared fearfully back.

_"You see, that's true suffering. That's why I've been putting up with you, because no matter what you do to me, no matter what you make me do. Nothing's worse than that, so I was fine playing you're little game. But that was before you threatened someone I care very much about. In fact, she's the one who saved me from the cold last time. Now I wonder..."_

Jaune looked up at the other team members as they stood frozen to the spot, flinching as Jaune's gaze rest upon them.  
"_Would they do the same for you?" _he mused as Cardin realized the potential danger he was in.

Summoning what strength he had, Cardin resisted the ice restraints with as much fury as he could muster, shattering them before headbutting the hooded teen that was crouched before him, knocking him back as Cardin got to his feet.

Reaching for his mace, Jaune regained his bearings and pulled out his sword, getting up from the ground.  
There was brief pause before both fighters collided weapons with a resounding clang, fighting for dominance with all their strength until they broke contact.

Pulling back the fist he wasn't using, Cardin went to strike the open Jaune, until the boy in black and purple raised his left hand as light mist immediately covered it, causing Cardin's fist to come into contact with hardened ice as he recoiled in pain.

Seeing his opportunity, Jaune thrust his ice covered fist into Cardin's chest plate, sending him off balance as one leg lifted off of the ground.  
Jaune decided to try it again, the move he had practiced with Pyrhha a while back that left her so confused.

Creating ice underneath his feet, Jaune skated behind Cardin in an instant, reeling back his protected fist once more before planting it firmly into the boy's back, sending him flailing face forward to the ground, hitting it with a heavy thud.

He lay there groaning, the fight beaten out of him as Jaune turned away, suddenly remembering the spectators present and wondering why they hadn't stepped in.

Just as he thought that, something collided with his back, smashing and causing something to pour all over his hoodie as Jaune reeled in pain.  
Angrily, he turned to Dove Bronzewing, who gulped as Jaune's icy glare bore into him.

Come to think of it, what had he just been hit with? It smelled... sweet.

Turning to the rest of Cardinal Red, Jaune wasn't surprised to see shock upon their faces, but what he saw was more than that, it was _horror.  
_He wasn't that scary, was he?

It wasn't until Skye raised his arm, tentatively pointing at something that Jaune considered the possibility that what they were staring at was not in fact him but instead...

The deafening roar of the giant ursa answered all questions as the boy's behind him began to speed away once again as Jaune readied his fighting stance.  
_"Damn tree sap.."  
_

* * *

"Weiss, are you alright?" Ren looked up from filling up his jar to address the heiress who seem startled at the question.  
"Yes, of course" she answered a little too quickly "Why do you ask?" she returned as Ren raised an eyebrow

"Well nothing really, apart from the way you fidget constantly and spend any minute you're not pacing up and down nervously glancing at the woods.  
I'm guessing something, or maybe someone is on your mind?" he asked, causing Weiss to scoff.

"If you think I'm worried about him then forget it, I'm just wondering why Jaune seems to be spending all day sightseeing rather than aiding his team"  
she spoke indignantly as Ren placed the lid on the now filled jar, placing it down to the collection by his feet.

"Uh-huh, and how much exactly have you contributed thus far?" he questioned, directing Weiss's attention to the evident lack of sap jars by her feet.  
"I'm supervising, to make sure that high strung harlot you call a partner doesn't make a mess of things" she scorned, looking over to the cheerful girl as she skipped over to collect another empty jar.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd prefer that you call her by her name, Nora" Ren addressed Weiss with a slight tinge of anger in his tone  
"I'm sorry, but I find it a little difficult to be civil with a girl who will wake up an entire dorm room at three AM to alert them to the lack of syrup in the kitchen, some of us like our rest" she retorted as the air began to grow heavy.

"Okay, Weiss, I understand you're from royalty and may not have much experience when it comes to social interaction, but after hearing someone speak badly of my friend right in front of me. I'm not about to-"

"RUN AWAY!" Ren was cut off as three speeding teens burst onto the scene, yelling and hollering until one was grabbed by the collar by the buxom blond of team Pyro Black.

"What's going on?" Yang interrogated the mohican haired boy she currently had suspended in the air, his feet dangling off the ground.  
"Ursa! It's got Cardin and the Ice-Freak!" he squealed before being dropped by Yang as a roar echoed through the woods.

Weiss's expression immediately went from anger to extreme concern as her eyes went wide, her skin turning a paler shade of white  
"Jaune!" she uttered before turning and without another word, ran in the direction of the beast's bellow.

"Weiss!" Pyrrha called out as Ren placed down his jar and equipped his green twin pistols.  
"Pyrrha, you and your team go get Glynda, we'll handle this" Ren ordered, taking Nora by the arm before running off in the same direction.

Despite her concern, Pyrhha conceded and nodded at Ruby and the others before heading off to alert the professor.

* * *

Having finally made it to the clearing, Weiss was met with the sight of an Ursa bigger than anything she had ever seen in her life, and the teen  
it was currently facing off against, Jaune Arc.

Something was different however, it was Jaune, he was emanating a light mist around him and his eyes almost seemed like they were... glowing as he fought.  
The last time Weiss remembered him like this was when he was fighting against that red headed assassin from the White Fang years before.

The ursa growled as it swung its claws at the teen, who raised his sword to deflect it before stepping closer and taking a swing at the beast, slicing a crimson slit down its chest, though this seemed to only anger the creature as it swung once more, this time connecting directly with the teen, sending him flying backwards.

Weiss gasped as the boy hurtled through the air, but he managed to use his momentum to flip backwards, hitting the floor and sliding backwards to soften his fall, apparently he was summoning ice below the soles of his shoes and using that to travel as if he was skating on ice.

Seeing that he may need some help with this one, Weiss activated her semblance, casting a glyph below his feet below the ursa's legs that it noticed  
a second too late as it exploded beneath it, sending it toppling backwards into the thick foliage.

Jaune blinked in confusion, looking around for his helper when Weiss walked out from the foliage, fixing him with her patented stern glare.  
"Having fun, are we? I was wondering where you'd got to and here you were, picking fights with mega sized monsters while your team slaved away collecting tree sap" she scowled as Jaune chuckled, the intimidating aura he was emanating settling instantly.

"Sorry, things got a little out of hand. But like I said, I sorted it out, the problem's gone now. Our everyday rota of fun, adventure and the occasional hurtful insult can now resume as usual" Jaune grinned, knowing that Cardinal Red would now think twice about bothering him again.

A sudden growl broke their short lived greeting as the black bear emerged from the shadows, on the hunt once again, blood thirst evident in it's  
devil red eyes as it made a beeline for the pair. Only to be stopped when a hammer from the heavens descended down with a deafening crack and a mischievous giggle.

"Gotcha, Yogi!" Nora yelled as the beast collapsed to the ground. Jaune stood wide eyed as Ren too entered the fray, unleashing a hail of bullets into the colossal bear's cranium, ending it once and for all.

"Yeah! Representin' the L-W!" Nora cheered as she stood triumphant over her foe. Ren merely smiled at her before turning to Jaune and Weiss.  
"Now, are we finished here?" he asked, all present knowing that he meant more than the current situation, that he was actually asking if they had finished dividing into two and if they were ready to act as a unit.

Jaune gave a grateful smile and nodded as Weiss reluctantly followed suit. It would be better for everyone involved if they got along, she supposed.  
Their moment of team bonding was to be short lived however as yet another threat reared its ugly head.

Another ursa that had been attracted to the scent had been watching as the first got torn up by the humans in the clearing and had waited until it was finished off, when the humans would let their guard down, to begin to attack.

With a cry, the second ursa barreled into the clearing, taking the foursome by surprise as they turned to see the beast storming towards them, specifically, towards Jaune. As it closed in, Jaune tried to coat himself in the same manner he did his left hand, but was out of time as it raised its paw.  
Jaune closed his eyes and waited... but nothing came.

When he opened them, there stood a sight before him that he never thought he would see in a million years.  
Cardin Winchester was stood, his mace sideways, held at either end, blocking the strike from the second ursa.  
Cardin... was defending him.

In his momentary stupor, Jaune stood motionless as the ursa thrust forward its other paw, sending the already weakened Cardin harshly to the ground, knocking him out cold.

Realizing what had just came to pass, Jaune looked up with fury at the black furred beast, fixing it with a deadly glare.  
"Guys, leave this one to me" he commanded as the others looked at each other hesitantly, before Weiss nodded, ensuring them Jaune knew what hew as doing and they took a step back.

The ursa charged at the furious teen in an effort to crush him but was stopped almost immediately in its tracks when Jaune sent several bursts of his power to encase the monster's front and hind legs in ice, trapping it to the spot.

Wanting to try something new, Jaune thrust forward his arm, coating it with ice to make it resemble the sharp end of a spear and impaled the beast's underside, activating his power, and like it had done so with the boarbatusk in the classroom the black furred body began to freeze over as ice overcame it's entire mid-section, eventually drowning out the beast's cries as the ice encased it's mouth.

Satisfied it was frozen entirely, Jaune removed his hand and brought back his sword arm, before swinging it forward with all his might and, upon making contact with its frozen form, managed to _shatter _the ursa into several pieces as Jaune smirked, having always wanted to try something like that.

"So... the power comes from your _sword _huh?" Ren questioned sarcastically as Jaune let out a nervous chuckled, knowing the jig was up.  
Weiss sighed, now realizing what Jaune had meant when he apologized, still, she supposed it was for the best that the rest of Lavender White  
found out the truth behind his powers.

At least it was only them.

"Um..." spoke a small voice that caused all eyes to turn to the small form of Ruby Rose as she stood with the rest of Pyro Black and Glynda Goodwitch as several stood slackjawed at what they had just seen.  
"We got the professor..."

* * *

And like that, the cat was out of the bag, Jaune supposed as he lent against the wall of the infirmary. He was happy that his team seemed to be doing better now that Weiss had stopped being so protective about the secret. Though he hadn't yet explained just how he had acquired the ability, they knew it was more than just your everyday dust enhancement.

It would make combat easier now that he could fight like he did in the two year gap, however, even that came with its own major flaw.  
In fact, that flaw was the reason he now stood alone, waiting in the infirmary. When he let his powers flourish, Jaune felt more powerful than he ever was before, but with that, he was both more brutal and uncaring.

It became more about destroying the enemy in front rather than protecting your allies behind. And that scared Jaune.  
Today he was lucky, the arrival of the ursa stopped him right when he was considering letting Cardin feel the unimaginable cold that he himself endured in the first few days after he changed.

Also, unlike Cardin, Jaune was already born in a snowy area, it didn't help much but it was enough to make it even a little bit bearable. Cardin on the other hand may have come from a place with a very different climate. The below zero temperatures that Jaune had suffered, may have been enough to kill Cardin had he gone through it himself.

Cardin, Cardin Winchester. The typical bully, arrogant and cruel, risking his life to save Jaune's. It didn't make an ounce of sense.  
Thus, here Jaune stood, awaiting for the awakening of the boy who had tormented him for the past few days and threatened to set venomous wasps upon his friend. Jaune needed to know.

"He can see you now" the nurse spoke, breaking Jaune from his musings as he lifted himself off the wall "His aura managed to save him from permanent injury so he should be better after a good night's rest" she assured the teen as she led him to the bed the older teen lay in.  
"I'll leave you two to it"

Jaune took a look at the boy resting in the bed and realized that it was odd seeing Cardin so peaceful, normally it was an evil smirk that occupied his face, never failing to unnerve Jaune, but now he looked... calm, serene almost. Like the hateful person underneath was never even-

"Oh great, they brought another nurse" groaned Cardin sluggishly as he began to sit up, evidently annoyed by the arrival of his visitor.  
"Why are you here?" he asked as Jaune fidgeted in his chair, unsure of where to begin.

"I guess, I want to say thanks" Jaune spoke sincerely as Cardin raised an eyebrow  
"I mean, you're a jerk" he continued as Cardin's expression turned from mild interest to disdain at a record breaking speed.

"Like, a real jerk, I mean over the course of the last few days you have used every cliche bully troupe in the book that  
I'm thoroughly convinced you go out of your way to cement your position as the most horrible student at Beacon"

The sound of teeth grating alerted Jaune as Cardin looked over with fury in his eyes  
"._..are you going anywhere with this?" _he hissed as Jaune coughed nervously

"Sorry, I meant that I am just confused is all. I mean, you hate me, don't you? Isn't that why you do all this stuff to me?"  
Cardin shrugged "Well that and your strikingly feminine voice" he added helpfully.

Jaune frowned "Moving on. Why then, after I almost turned you into a human popsicle, why did you save me?" he asked honestly, bewildered at the sudden act of heroism displayed by Cardin.

The boy in question looked thoughtful, before coming to a suitable conclusion as he looked up to Jaune  
"You're right, I like to treat others as if they were the dirt under my feet. And I enjoy it, every second. It makes me feel alive.  
Call it a product of bad parenting or a drop on the head when I was a kid, but it's just the way I operate.

But... despite that, I'm here, at Beacon. I want to be a huntsman. Helping others isn't really in my nature but it happens to be in the job description so I guess I have to get used to it. I chose this path, so that's what I'm gonna do. Even if it means sticking my neck out for a loser like you"

Following that statement was silence as Jaune looked over the boy laying in the bed, wondering if it was foolish of him to think that people were so simple that they could be clearly divided into good and bad. Everybody has their stories, after all.

"Well nevertheless, thank you, Cardin. I'm not doing your homework anymore though, if you want to be a huntsman that's part of the process unfortunately"  
Jaune picked himself up, deciding not to risk a pat on the shoulder, simply smiling at his former tormentor before heading towards the door.  
"Oh, and, your team came by earlier, but you were out cold, I'll tell them to come over" Jaune informed him in the doorway as Cardin looked at him in surprise.

"Meh, they can do what they want" he muttered, but he couldn't hide the small amount of happiness that he received after hearing it.  
Jaune gave him one last look, happy to see Cardin a different light, even if it was only temporarily, before heading out to find the rest of Cardinal Red.

* * *

"So... ice and snow and stuff, you can control them?" the rest of Lavender White and Pyro Black were currently occupying the library tables after returning to the academy, and now it seemed like a good idea to simply get it out in the open.

"Yup. I can fire blasts of it, control any nearby, form it over myself, the whole deal" Jaune confirmed as Ruby looked even more intrigued, the girl had always been fascinated by different forms of combat and weaponry and this was unlike anything she'd ever heard of.

"That's cool and all, but how did you even get that kind of power? Is it your semblance or something?" Yang asked as Jaune considered the possibility.  
He hadn't figured out his semblance before the incident so maybe it was overwritten when the change happened. After all it changed his hair and skin, who's to say it stopped there.

"Maybe, but I got it when..." Jaune stopped short, considering whether or not it was best to reveal it in the end. That lesson with Oobleck proved that it was generally looked down upon. But would they judge him for it? Surely they wouldn't... still...

His eyes widened as a hand was placed over his, he looked to his left to see Weiss nod at him with a warm expression, Jaune smiled back, happy to have received a very rare genuine smile from the heiress, she really did look better when she did that.

_"Thank you" _he mouthed to her as she squeezed his and supportively.

Taking a breath, he addressed the group.

"It all started when I went for a walk in the middle of winter, and I saw an airship flying overhead..."

* * *

**Elsewhere**

"A school trip to Forever Fall, huh? Of all the places to find you" the teen muttered to himself, having returned to his personal quarters after his scouting, during which he made a very interesting discovery. Picking through his old belongings he found it, a polaroid picture from his past.

Stood in the photo was a younger teen with brown hair that had been dyed a deep red, and a smaller girl with catlike eyes and a little black bow.  
She hadn't changed at all, not even a little bit. And now she was attending school like any ordinary human would, what a disgrace.

She gives up the fight just to hide within enemy ranks and call herself one of them, slandering her own heritage without a care.  
He would make sure she knew that once he retrieved her.

Of course, she wasn't the only target he had in mind. The heiress to the Schnee Dust Company that managed to slip through his fingers with the help of a human experiment using the icy area to subdue him. He wouldn't be getting away this time, either.

A knock on his door broke him from his musings as he paced over to the door, opening it to reveal another member of the organisation staring back at him with a toothy grin.

"I hear you're targeting the Schnee again" the member spoke, widening his grin to reveal his unnatural sharp jaws that were clear signs of  
faunus heritage.

"Are you up for it, Tiburon?" the teen asked the visitor, evaluating whether or not the faunus would be useful to him or simply a burden to stand in his way. He had never previously worked with this particular member and he was nothing if not cautious about who he worked with, he had made that mistake before.

"I'm ready for some revenge, Adam" Tiburon smirked as Adam concluded that none of the other White Fang members would dare ask to come along if they weren't prepared for it. Satisfied, Adam allowed the faunus access to his quarters so that they could plan and organize just how they should go about the operation.

* * *

**Hi, RN here, sorry about late update but school has been a bother and so has fatigue :/ Still here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoyed, please make sure to leave a review if you have anything to say.**

**Also, if anyone was upset with the way I wrote Cardin, I simply wanted to write him in a way that seemed realistic to me. I mean he is attending a school intended to train heroes, it would make sense that he has a bit of heroism in him.**

**Now to respond to a few reviews:**

**Shirokama: Thank you for your constructive critisism, I agree. I am actively trying to make it clearer who is speaking and when but I understand it can get confusing. Nonetheless, I'm glad you like the story!**

**Exalted Demi Soul- You raise a very good point and that is why I incorporated the idea of it possibly being a semblance into this chapter, thank you for sharing and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**DuelRoxas16: Ask and you shall receive haha, though I wrote Cardin a little differently. Regardless, thank you for the continued support!**

**Fatmatt1220: Thanks for the idea, and I'm not sure if you meant to write two reviews or if you and a guest have a very similar fascination with Mortal Kombat style fatalities, regardless, thanks for the support and ideas! I really appreciate it.**


	16. Temperature Drop

"The Vytal Festival! Oh this is absolutely wonderful!" chirped a unusually gleeful Weiss as she clasped her hands together in joy, whilst Jaune was happy that Weiss was genuinely cheerful for once, it did raise some suspicions...

"Not that I'm not on board with smiley Weiss, but what's the occasion? Does the festival mean something to you?" he wondered as Nora and Ren took in the surroundings, one satisfied with a day of rare relaxation and seeing the sites, the other attempting to locate the nearest ice cream stand.

"Whatever do you mean? This is a festival dedicated to the different cultures of the world! There will be dances, parades, a tournament! Oh the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!" she responded dreamily, twirling herself around before prancing into the streets.  
Jaune raised an eyebrow, was she always into dances and parades?

"This _is _a rare opportunity to spend an afternoon as a team, minus the monster hunting, we should focus on understanding one another and making an effort to build up trust between us" Ren mused, addressing the team with what he hoped would set the course for a tame, team building event.

"Yes, yes, that too, but first we see the docks!" Weiss insisted, having very likely ignored the boy's words, with Nora apparently in the same boat  
"Ooh, ooh, maybe we'll see a fish faunus, like a mermaid!" the ginger girl giggled, skipping on forward also.

Ren sighed, Jaune offered him a supportive smile and pat on the back before giving in to the whims of their female teammates and following after.  
"I thought you sounded inspiring" Jaune whispered to the taller boy who simply grunted in response.

Weiss scoffed at Nora,  
"Oh please, Nora. As if, mermaids are mythical creatures of beauty and elegance, as if a faunus could compare" Weiss spoke spitefully, her dismissive tone making the bubbly girl slightly put off at the sudden change in demeanor, looking back at Jaune for an explanation, he simply shook his head.

With someone with a history like Weiss's, Jaune knew resentment would remain, engraved into her from a young age, a part of him wondered what would happen if she were to discover the true nature of one of their fellow huntresses, though another part of him desperately wished that day wouldn't come at all.

"So Weiss, a festival full of fun events and attractions whichever way you turn, and we're at the docks, why?" Jaune caught up to the heiress, having ended up at a lookout over the docking incoming ships.

"I've heard that the students from Vacuo will be arriving today, and as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom" she spoke proudly, turning away from the trio and heading towards the wooden piers.

"The ones that... are coming for the tournament?" Jaune asked innocently as Weiss seemed to freeze mid-step.  
"Y-yes, the incoming students that just so happen to be taking part in the tournament!" she offered, she was received with looks of general disbelief from the other three members of the team.

"Oh whatever, at least I pretend to be welcoming..." she muttered, crossing her arms indignantly as Jaune couldn't help but smile at her antics. Her irregular jolly attitude having been perfectly explained now.

"It's okay, we can spy on our future enemies later!" Jaune offered cheerfully, only earning an annoyed sigh from the heiress as Nora giggled at the pair. Happy now that she could openly laugh with the two of them now, rather than just with Jaune.

"Hmm, were you two aware of any crimes happening in the city?" Ren asked, his eyes elsewhere as Jaune and Weiss turned to see where he was looking, finding at the end of the street an area waded off by typical black and yellow ticker tape containing a desolate store with broken out windows, glass shards strewn across the pavement.

Their suspicions raised, the foursome made their way over to the crime scene as two suited men stood investigating the store.

"Uh, what happened here, sir?" Jaune asked the taller one with a bushy beard and eyes obscured by a thick pair of aviators.

"Robbery, second dust shop to be hit this week, this place is turnin' into a jungle" he responded before returning to his gray haired partner.

"They left all the money again!" his partner commented, confused. Ren's eyebrows furrowed at hearing this.

"Ah it doesn't make a lick of sense, who needs that much dust?" the bearded one asked, inspecting the empty dust capsules.

"Maybe an army, like the White Fang" the other one offered, causing a change to Weiss's expression that Jaune was first to spot.

"Hmph, the White Fang, what an awful group of degenerates" Weiss spoke scornfully, harboring a great hatred for that particular group.  
"Do you have something personal against them, Weiss?" Ren asked, wanting to hear the root of such a vendetta.

"Do I seriously have to explain that?" Weiss asked condescendingly. Not hearing the footsteps approaching from behind her a she spoke.

"Yes, if you would" spoke a sly voice that startled the heiress as she turned to see an expectant Blake Belladonna standing with her arms crossed, standing behind her were the other three members of team Pyro Black, with Pyrrha offering Jaune a small wave which he returned before his attention was returned to the stand off occurring beside him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I needed a reason to be distasteful of the criminally insane" Weiss answered mockingly as Blake's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths, they're a collection of misguided faunus" Blake returned, reigning in the tinge of anger in her tone.

"_Misguided?! _They want to wipe humanity off of the face of the planet!" Weiss scoffed  
"Then they're _very_ misguided. Either way it doesn't explain why they would rob a dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale" Blake returned, turning the group's attention to the irregular crime scene before them.

"They never caught the Torchwick guy I ran into a couple months ago, maybe it was him" Ruby suggested helpfully, but Weiss didn't seem convinced, her scowl only seemed to be deepen.

"That doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum, isn't that right, Jaune?" The boy in question froze as Weiss turned to him, and with her the eyes of all present as he stood, having desperately not wanted to be involved.

"Jaune and I know especially what the White Fang are like, _don't we_?" Weiss addressed him once more, growing impatient as Blake looked over to him, the look of annoyance was now replaced with a look of worry, looking up to him hopefully.

"Jaune, what.. what do you think?" Blake asked him, suddenly a bit unsure of herself. "They can't ALL be bad people, you agree with that at least?"

Jaune knew what position he was in, no matter what he said next, someone's feelings were going to get hurt. It was unavoidable.

Taking a deep breath, he conceded that he might as well tell the truth.

"I'm not gonna lie, I... I still hold a grudge against the White Fang. Both for what they did to Weiss and what they made me give up"

Jaune's mind flashed with images of the household he used to call home as Weiss looked satisfied, but still wanting to hear more. Blake's eyes began to drift down towards the stone floor beneath her.

"Even so, even if I do feel that way, deep down I know that it's impossible for all of them to be bad people, I mean, maybe some of the nicest people in Vale could be members of the White Fang. Some were just born into different circumstances, I suppose..." Jaune finished, meeting Blake's gaze as he sent her a warm look, to which she gave him a small smile.

Weiss studied him, not entirely happy with the response, but she supposed that was just like Jaune to say something like that, still...  
"Nevertheless, there are a number of faunus in the group who only know how to lie, cheat and steal" she huffed as Yang raised an eyebrow

"That's not necessarily true..." she said unsure, and as if fate had heard her-  
"_STOP THAT FAUNUS!"_

All eyes present turned towards the docks where a blond, muscular boy around their age leap off one of the ships, before using what looked like a monkey tail to suspend himself upside down from a lamppost as he peeled back a banana and began to dig in.

It was definitely a surreal site for all as the bearded officer called for him to come down, only to receive an emptied banana skin to the face, prompting a rather maniacal sounding laugh from the monkey faunus as he lept from the post, landing in a forward roll on the pier before speeding up the stone steps and heading in the two teams' direction.

Jaune felt a gust of wind as the boy sped past him, though his eyes must have been playing with him as he could have sworn he saw the monkey faunus deliver a cheeky wink to the black bowed girl beside him.

Just as quickly as he had come, the muscular teen was off again, Weiss, having broken from her stupor, realized her reason for coming to the docks in the first place. She turned to Jaune, Ren and Nora and commanded them  
"Quick! We have to observe him!"

With that Weiss sprinted away, Jaune and Ren sighed before running after her as Nora joined the chase, happily as ever, leaving a befuddled team behind as they tried to take in what they just saw.

"Should we go after them or...?" Yang began, earning blank looks from the other three members as team Lavender White fled the scene.

* * *

As the monkey faunus turned another corner, the reluctant pursuers struggled to keep pace.  
Coming around the bend themselves, Weiss neglected to look directly in front of her and did not notice the girl in front of her until it was too late.  
With a thud, the two fell to the ground in a heap.

Weiss, not even acknowledging the girl, turned to Jaune.  
"Jaune, you can catch him, right? Using that technique you showed me!" She pleaded, Jaune raised a finger to the girl below the heiress

"Uh, Weiss, you might wanna-"  
"Quick! He's getting away!" Weiss interrupted snappily, Jaune knew not to delay it further.

If catching this guy was just another impulsive order from the girl who wasn't even the leader of the team, then he'd just have to do it and deal with the consequences later. It was much preferable to arguing with her after all...

Jaune began to run normally, before focusing himself and channeling his power to the soles of his shoes, summoning a thin layer of ice beneath his feet, and with his his stance shifted, he begun to skate across the ground, now travelling twice as fast as he normally would, leaving the rest of the team behind as he dashed off after the faunus.

Seeing the boy skate away, Weiss was satisfied that there was nothing more she could do and she let out a sigh, not used to high speed chases. Regaining her calm composure, Weiss began to take in what Jaune was saying before. Then she wondered just what had caused her to fall over in the first place.  
Looking down slowly as the realization hit, there below her lay a ginger girl grinning wildly back at her.

"Ah!" Weiss gasped, immediately clambering to her feet whilst the girl remained flat on the ground, grinning up at them.  
"Salutations!" greeted the oddly dressed girl, smiling maniacally from below her.

* * *

Having lost the two officers long ago, Jaune was alone in his chase, managing to just about keep track of the free running faunus as he ran and flipped off of one rooftop and onto the next.

Jaune skirted through the streets, swerving to avoid bystanders left and right as he struggled to keep his balance.  
Realizing that he couldn't keep this up indefinitely, Jaune had to think.

As the faunus suddenly turned left, Jaune quickly located an alleyway and sped through in pursuit, hearing the faunus jeer down from above.

"Give it up, figure skater! You're not catching me!" he yelled, only serving to spur Jaune on as he analysed his surroundings, seeing the road in front of him was barren of people and obstructions. Jaune raise his arm forwards.  
Channeling his power and sending out a burst of ice that formed on the ground ahead.

At the end he crafted it so that it concluded with a large vertical ramp. Scrunching his eyes and hoping for the best, Jaune skated up the icy structure, feeling the wind blast behind him as he picked up speed, skidding up the ramp and into the air as the faunus stared wide eyed.

Remembering his debacle in the forest during initiation, Jaune summoned a small pile of snow to soften his landing as he made contact with the roof, skidding to a stop as he looked up to the faunus who stood in awe of what he had just seen.

He whistled, "You got some moves, man! That was sick! For that, you get five seconds before I start running again" the taller blond grinned as Jaune sighed.

"Sorry, to be honest I have no idea why I chased you. I just kind of went with it" Jaune confessed, exasperated.  
The faunus raised an eyebrow, letting out a light chuckle at the paler boy.  
"You're weird, dude"

Jaune sighed "Yeah, I kind of get that..." he admitted honestly as the pair shared a laugh.  
"I'm Jaune" he greeted, holding out his arm towards the faunus.

The monkey faunus smirked before returning the favor and gripping his hand tightly.  
"Sun" he stated, but his expression changed suddenly as he seemed to be remembering something.

"Woah, wait, cool ice powers... Jaune, you wouldn't happen to know a certain Schnee heiress, would you?" Sun asked, his tone concerned, slightly worrying Jaune.

"Yeah, she's my friend. Why?" Jaune returned, his suspicion peaked as Sun suddenly seemed anxious.  
"Uhh, you know what? Forget I said anything, okay?" the faunus spoke hastily as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Jaune called out, but the teen had already leaped onto another roof, but before sprinting off, he spoke once more  
"Just... be careful, the both of you" he warned, but before Jaune could ask any more he was off, running and jumping into the distance.

Leaving behind a very confused, and concerned Jaune Arc before he decided to head back to his friends and see how they dealt with the stranger Weiss had rugby tackled before he left.

* * *

"So... you make a new friend?" All Jaune received was a deep sigh from the heiress as she placed her hand to her forehead in annoyance.

Accompanying the aggravated Schnee was the rest of Lavender White, Pyro Black and one new addition that gave Jaune a wide smile and a small wave.

"Indeed, in fact, I have made several, Ruby even managed to convince Weiss, which is stupendous as Weiss thought I was a freak at first!" Seeing Jaune send Weiss a questioning look, the new girl quickly continued "Oh, she didn't say it loud, she whispered it to my other new friend, Yang!"

Putting the girl's apparent super hearing aside, first and foremost  
"Uh, I'm Jaune" he introduced himself, for the second time that day.  
Excited at the idea of yet another friend, the girl reached out and shook his hand vigorously.

"My name is Penny! I'm here for the tournament" she greeted gleefully as Jaune sent her a wry smile.  
"Nice to meet you"

"More importantly, Jaune" Weiss interrupted, removing Penny from the boy and turning him to face her  
"What happened with the faunus? Did you catch him?" she asked, Jaune's eyes travelled downward as he was reminded of his brief encounter with Sun, and that ominous warning.

"I lost him, sorry" Jaune apologized sheepishly as Weiss gave him an odd look, having caught that subtle change in him  
"_Jaune.. are you alright?_" she asked quietly, surprising Jaune with the sincerity in her voice.

"_Yeah, I'm fine, really" _he responded, but Weiss didn't look convinced.  
_"Why are we whispering?" _spoke Penny

Jaune nearly jumped out of his skin as him and Weiss stepped back from the bubbly ginger that had included herself in their previously private conversation.

"Ugh, isn't one psychotic orange haired girl enough?" Weiss mused, holding her fingers to her forehead before looking back up at her "What about you? Do you know about that faunus rapscallion?"

"I'm sorry, the who?" Penny looked confused, in his peripheral Jaune could see Blake clenching her fists.  
Not again...

"The filthy faunus from the-"  
"ICE CREAM!" Jaune exclaimed, drawing silence from the crowd surrounding him as the spotlight was redirected to him  
"Ice cream stand, that one, over there!" he pointed at the stall in the market with the kind old man handing out the cold treats to customers. "I say we get some for the walk back, right Nora?"

Nora jumped up happily in agreement "Yippee! Come on, Ren, we can share a double cone! Like a couple! But... definitely not like a couple at all!" she corrected herself non convincingly as she dragged her friend over.

"I believe that would be a fine way to end the day, right Blake?" Pyrhha spoke happily, placing a hand on Blake's shoulder as she sighed, deciding an ice cream would probably help calm her down.

"Might I suggest an ice cream for the Ice Queen?" Jaune joked, earning an annoyed flick to the forehead from the heiress but she walked with him nonetheless.

As the ensemble made their way back to the airships, joking and smiling as they enjoyed their cones and cups, Jaune couldn't keep his eyes off of Blake's tightened fist, and ferocity in her eyes that she couldn't quite tame, and quite frankly, it scared him.

* * *

Once they had arrived back at the Beacon grounds, the campus had been overcome with a sunset glow as the day begun to fade. The two teams headed to their dorms, saying their goodbyes inn the corridor before heading in to rest in their rooms.

Nora and Ren began to cook some leftover pancakes from the morning at Nora's request the second they got in and Weiss instantly locked herself in the bathroom, needing to freshen up after a day of tiresome running.

The leader of the team, however, remained outside in the corridor, not quite done for the day.

"Tiring day, then?" Pyrhha asked sarcastically. Jaune chuckled, it had been indeed. Today he had run down a renegade faunus and broken up a fight between two fearsome huntresses. It was hard to tell which was more difficult.

"You handled it well back there, something like that at the end of the day was really what we needed" she praised him warmly. Jaune smiled at her, Flame Girl always knew how to cheer people up, for all Jaune knew maybe that was her semblance.

Still, nothing was settled yet, only postponed.

"Don't let me keep you, Pyrrha. Goodnight, and thank you, I kinda needed that" Jaune nodded at her, grateful for her presence at times like these.

"Goodnight, Jaune, let me know if you need anything else" she shone him one last smile before turning around to join the rest of her team. Before she could close the door, Jaune called out to her.

"Ah, uh actually, you think you could get Blake to come out here? I wanna talk to her for a bit" he asked, Pyrrha looked slightly suspicious but she knew that she could trust him.

"Well?" Blake asked as soon as they were alone in the corridor, Jaune could see the lingering feelings of contempt weren't calmed down just yet.

"Blake, Weiss isn't perfect. She can be demanding, controlling, deceptive and selfish" Jaune began, Blake's eyes widened at the bluntness of the statement.

"But she is also kind, caring and she loves her friends. That includes you, you know that" he spoke seriously, making sure she knew he meant it. Blake looked contemplative momentarily, but then slowly nodded.

"I understand that, but some of the things she says... I can't just let them go. It's downright racism, she doesn't stop to try and consider what the faunus in the White Fang have been through at all" Blake scorned, sending a sharp look down the hallway.

Jaune took a breath "I know, but you have to understand-"  
"Give it up, she won't listen" Came a voice from behind, Jaune turned to see the heiress he had thought to be occupied in the bathroom standing in the now open doorway, glaring at the faunus in front of him.

"What _they've _been through doesn't justify the things they've done. Not to anyone, including me" Weiss fixed Blake with a scowl, but the faunus didn't look away.

"Weiss, I know what you and Jaune went through, but that doesn't mean-" Blake began, only to be cut off.  
"You know nothing!" Weiss yelled, stunning the other two present, and the two teams in the rooms beside them as they took notice of the squabble happening outside their door.

Weiss took a moment to compose herself, before lifting her head once more, her cold stare still present  
"It's not just that, while I abhor them for the things they did to Jaune. That isn't the only reason.  
It goes back further, right back to when I was a lowly infant.

My grandfather's company has always been on the brunt of attacks and robberies from those lowlifes. It was all out war, and yes, that means bloodshed. I saw board members disappear day after day.

I saw that council get smaller and smaller, and I witnessed their executions. My father would come home every night, furious. Which made for a rather difficult childhood.

The first good thing that ever happened to me was making my first friend and leaving that battleground, even if it was just for a couple days... it was a release from _hell._

You don't see me becoming a criminal or a thief, why in the world should _they _be excused..."

A temporary silence followed the girl's words as they sunk into both Jaune and Blake, the former looking at her in pure sympathy, the latter taking in what she said, and not liking it. One bit.

"Well maybe they were just tired. Sick and tired, of people like Cardin Winchester, people like _you."_ Blake spat  
Weiss's eyes went wide in anger "_Me? _I'm just tired of them making my life a waking nightmare!"

"WELL SO WERE WE!" Blake yelled.

Weiss froze, wondering if she'd just heard what she thought she'd heard. Blake's eyes instantly lost their anger, in its place was nothing but fear, she couldn't say a word as Weiss's eyes pierced her soul, never leaving her.  
It was too much.

In a blur, Blake sprinted down the corridor, away from Jaune and Weiss, wanting to believe that this was all an illusion, a dream that she could escape if she just kept running.

Yes, if she just kept running away, just like before...

* * *

Her mind was blank as she scurried down the staircases, something wet beginning to obscure her vision as she pressed her tired legs on, running through the night.

After a few hundred feet, she had to stop, else she feared she might collapse. It was over now, she had done it and she couldn't go back. She had let it all go.

Seeing no point for it anymore, Blake felt for the end of her bow and pulled it, feeling the fabrics come lose as her most precious accessory fell down to the ground. Her dark purple ears now exposed to the moonlight. In a way it felt liberating.

"I knew you'd look better without the bow" Came a voice she hadn't heard before, turning round she caught sight of him, the faunus from earlier, standing opposite her with a wide smile.

"Come on, let's ditch this place. Oh, and the name's Sun by the way" he greeted, she didn't respond but silently walked over and joined him as they began to walk side by side, leaving the school premises.

"_Wait!" _echoed a voice from behind them, running up to the pair was the same snow haired teen Sun had been chased by earlier, now choosing to sprint rather than skate over to where they stood.

"I.. I'm coming too" Jaune panted as Sun and Blake blinked in surprise, having expected to hear a plea for the faunus girl to return to their dorms at once.

"Uh, is that okay?" Sun asked, looking down at the quiet feline beside him, who looked down thoughtfully, taking a few seconds to herself before nodding affirmatively.

"Great" Jaune said simply as he stood on the other side of Blake and the trio continued their walk together, to wherever in the kingdom Sun was planning on taking them to.

"This will be nice, a field trip to nowhere in particular with my faunus friends, and as a bonus, on the way, you can tell me _all_ about the thing that Weiss and I have to be careful about!" Jaune cheered quietly as Sun chuckled nervously, feeling less sure of their impromptu excursion.

But he was no less confident that it would sure be an interesting one...

* * *

**Ello, ello, ello.**

**Sorry for the late update, been on holiday recently and have been relaxing lazily ever since! Oh well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Sorry if it's a bit too melo-dramatic, this is more of a set-up chapter after all.**

**dragoon109: I apologize if you aren't happy with the way this story is going, I truly am. But I would ask that if you are to give criticism, you are to make it constructive. That way, I may learn from it for the future :)**

**If anyone has any questions, ideas, critiques, or you want to make my day a little better, feel free to leave a review! I promise to try and get back to you ASAP. I generally reply with PM to people with accounts and I answer guest reviews in the next chapter.**

**Thank you so much for reading! Have a nice day :)**


	17. Snowstorm: Part One

As sun shone down on the city of Vale, the entire area was bustling with activity, families strolled down the streets chatting away and groups of friends joked and strode down the square. The only noticeable exception to the norm was the group of three that was currently sitting down at a café, not a word being shared between them.

On one side of the table sat a girl quietly sipping her mug of coffee, her eyes plastered to the plate in font of her, not a single signal of acknowledgement of anyone nearby.  
Opposite her was a monkey tailed boy who made use of his faunus appendage to awkwardly down his drink bit by bit, growing more uncomfortable by the second.  
The third person sat in the middle, looking between the two others, back and forth, drumming his fingers on the side of his mug impatiently.

Closing her eyes, Blake put down her mug and sighed. Garnering attention from the two teen boys as they immediately turned to attention  
"So, you want to know more about me?" she looked at Sun solemnly, he looked taken aback for a second before regaining his usual vigour.

"Finally! She speaks, it's been like two days and you've been givin' me nothing but small talk and weird looks" he spoke cheerfully, unfitting to the tense atmosphere created beforehand. True to his claims, Blake sent him a small glare, which he noted lightly "Yeah, like that!"

Blake shook her head, clearly not brightened from his attempt at humour, she fixed him with a serious look  
"Sun, have you heard of the White Fang?" she asked carefully, her slight hesitance in asking noticeable to the third person at the table.

"Of course, there's not a faunus on the planet who hasn't heard of them. I even had a run in with a bunch of those stupid holier than thou creeps, bunch of freaks if you ask me!" Sun finished as Blake's eyes narrowed before taking another calm sip from her mug. The third member at the table winced at the ignorant faunus's choice of words.

"I was... once a member of the White Fang"

A cough and splutter from the blond was the initial reaction before he expressed his sheer disbelief, Blake looked contemplative, settling something deep within her before raising her head and coming clean to yet another person.

* * *

"-So here I am, a criminal hiding in plain view. All with the help of a little, black bow" she finished, prompting her small accessory to waggle in response as a small silence fell upon the table, Sun took a moment to consider everything he'd heard. And even though he'd grown to naturally despise the White Fang, he felt nothing but sympathy for this girl opposite him.

"So... have you told your friends any of this?" he questioned, in a tone more serious than any heard previously by the three. Blake couldn't answer, returning to her pattern of weird looks as she was apparently done talking for the moment.

An air of sadness hung over them as Sun spared the troubled girl a concerned glance, wanting nothing more to be there for her, staying with her for as long as she needed, fate, or rather, the third member at the table , had other plans, however.

"So, I'm here. In case anyone forgot" Jaune spoke up for the first time, drawing the two pairs of contemplative expressions, both having temporarily gotten lost in their own world. "Sorry, I know you kinda wanted this to be a two person thing, opening up to the guy you find relatable and all that, but I kinda have some things I want to get off someone's chest" Jaune turned his head to Sun who stared back blankly.

"The warning, what did it mean? And don't be all mysterious and junk, it sounds cool but it really doesn't help me in the slightest!" Jaune demanded, surprising Sun with the sudden tone shift for what was seconds earlier an emotional trip to the café.

Sun coughed, composing himself before turning to the anxious teen between himself and Blake, Sun wasn't sure whether or not the rumours he heard were true, or if he had misinterpreted them, but it wouldn't hurt much for Jaune to be prepared just in case, he supposed.

"I overheard some goons on the ship talking about White Fang, I think some guy was trying to convince his friend to join up, I don't know. He mentioned something about a pair of high ranking members that were operating in the area, and that he was told to report any sign of one of three things, the Schnee heiress, a girl in a bow, or a boy with wacky ice powers. Ring any bells?" Sun already knew the answer, reeling in the smirk he had been brewing when he saw the expression on Jaune's face.

Jaune's look was one of sudden worry, darting his eyes from Blake to the distance, the person on his mind not exactly a mystery to those present.  
"Did..." Jaune began hesitantly, fearing the answer he expected. "Did they mention who the pair were?"

Sun sighed "'Fraid not, but from the way he was talking, he was trying to impress his pal, it'd be a fair guess that they're at least a big deal to rookies. Still, now we got an inside source" Sun turned his gaze to Blake who had been listening silently, who looked up in alarm at having been addressed "Any names come to mind?"

Blake averted her eyes from the two as her grip on her mug grew ever slightly tighter. Jaune imagined the man he prayed it wouldn't be, but knew it had to be.  
"It's Adam, the one you fought" Blake confirmed as Jaune nodded slowly, having already expected that.

"Woah, you fought the guy already?" Sun exclaimed in shock, had there already been a confrontation? "What happened?!"  
Jaune shook his head "It was about two years ago, he attacked me and Weiss, I managed to overwhelm him at one point, but I got distracted, if Weiss wasn't there, I wouldn't be here to admit it"

"Still! You must have increased your skill by now, right? If it caught him off guard then, you could deal some proper damage to the jerk! I mean yesterday you made a ramp out of thin air! You can take on some jock gang member!" Sun enthused, trying his best to encourage Jaune. In all honesty, Sun just kind of wanted to see the ice powers in action again.

"Last time was in a snow-filled forest. I was at a clear advantage, plus I can't summon it from the moisture in the air indefinitely. I asked Ozpin about this, apparently the power is linked to my aura, it can deplete like anyone else's and my ability to convert the moisture can go away entirely. I had wondered why I couldn't create anything in a place like a jungle, guess I shoulda connected the dots" Jaune explained, having gone off on a tangent.

"If I can get near a big water source maybe, the docks are a good option, I guess. But there's still one problem" he paused, looking back to Sun with an unsure expression.

"Who is the second member?"

* * *

_"Blaaaaaake!"_ a nasally young voice called out.

_"Jauuuuune!" _a softer, calmer voice sounded.

So far the searching party's method of simply yelling names hadn't exactly been effective, but the group was coming up short with other options. It was Pyrrha who had suggested that the remaining members of both teams go out to search for the missing pair and all were happy to take the time out of their day to do so, of course the little exception being the heiress who slowly paced behind the group, who had needed a bit more persuasion, mostly along the lines of 'Jaune is missing too'.

_"Blaaaaaake, are you hiding? Because you're pretty good at thaaaaaaat!"_ Nora yelled, taking this as seriously as ever.

"_Jaune! Running off isn't cool, you know?!" _Yang added with a chuckle in her voice, proud of her talent of slipping puns in wherever she could.

"Weiss, Ren, would you like to give the yelling a try?" Pyrrha asked the two cheerily, receiving not so enthusiastic looks from either of them

"I believe Nora is pulling my weight enough" he stated simply, with Pyrrha having to agree, Weiss on the other hand frowned.

"I think a quick phone call would be the quicker way to go, the police rarely respond to lunatics shouting in the streets" she returned, Pyrrha's smile faltered as Ruby stepped up to Weiss with her arms crossed.

"We're not going to the police, Weiss, they're our friends!" Ruby scolded, Weiss returned her glare.

"Obviously you don't understand, what we have here is a hostage situation. It is evident that Blake kidnapped him and is holding him in case we decide to spill her secret!" Weiss hypothesised, causing eyebrows to raise all round as Ruby fixed her with a mad look.

"Do you really think Blake would kidnap Jaune?" she asked, Weiss looked away but nodded nonetheless, causing Ruby to sigh in exasperation as she walked away to the front of the group again. Ren placed a hand on Weiss's shoulder, giving her a knowing look

"We should hear her side of the story first, then we can make our judgement" he spoke calmly, making sure Weiss was the only one to hear. He knew the chances that Blake would do something so extreme were scarce at best, securing his team leader's safety took priority.

Weiss paused, looking at Ren sceptically but nothing about him made her question his motives, with a slow nod, they carried on.

To their ignorance, a recently made friend had spotted the group and had decided to join in on the festivities they appeared to be partaking in, as she began to make he way over however, a figure stepped out from the darkness of the alleyway, blocking her path. She looked up in innocent confusion in an attempt to analyse the new person in front of her.

"Greetings stranger, I apologize but you appear to be in my way" she informed politely, however opposed to the usual human response, the figure merely chuckled, it's razor like teeth shining in the darkness of the hooded teal cloak he was wearing.

The proximity sensors and motion alerts were meaningless as a set of jagged jaws descended upon the small ginger's neck, tearing through the artificial skin and revealing the circuited metal below, as the girl reached up to pry the faunus' mouth off of her, she was lifted from the ground and hurled into the alley by the overwhelmingly powerful set of teeth.

Hitting the ground hard, the metal unit got on one knee, opening the sliding backpack behind and equipping three blades that hung suspended in the air.  
The attacker had already acted, raising his arm and thrusting it forward, sending gushing water propelling from the slits in his right arm towards his target.

The water connected with the girl's exposed wiring and caused an electric fizz that began to make the girl spasm uncontrollably before collapsing to the ground in a heap, her eyes still wide open but the consciousness fading until it was all completely gone. The shark faunus made his way over and kneeled next to his downed target

"Heard about you, the little project that had run away from it's testing facility, now my contacts tell me you've made friends with my buddy's target, and we simply can't have you getting in the way, so I'll have to shut you down for a little while. It would cause more trouble than it's worth to kill you so I suppose I'll just hang on to you until then, sound good?" Tiburon smiled at the lack of response, knowing his work was done.

The faunus smirked, being out in the field felt so freeing. No tanks for him tonight!

* * *

Having concluded their talk at the café, the trio began to walk around the city of Vale, wanting to find ideal locations for a confrontation if it were inevitable. Of course there was the risk of being found by the others this way, but they couldn't sit awkwardly fingering mugs all day.

"So I get the real estate search for our battle with the bad bull and his partner, but why look for places with dust?" Sun questioned Blake as she had suggested scoping out local dust unloading stations.

"If the two after Jaune, Weiss and I are here, chances are the rest of the White Fang are too. Meaning they could be responsible for the robberies after all, but something tells me it wasn't them. It's something I have to know, and if it helps find our want to be assassins, then it's two for one" Blake answered as Sun's eyes widened, dramatically stopping in front of Blake and Jaune.

"What if they are? Then the only way to prove they didn't do it is to go to the place they'd be most likely to go to if they _were _to do it, and not find them there, and if we do, you settle your personal vendetta and Jaune gets to roughhouse with the redhead faunus again, win-win!" Sun exclaimed gleefully.

"You know somewhere like that, then?" Jaune asked him as Sun held his arms to his hips with pride.  
"I heard on the ship that there'd be a massive delivery of dust to the docks. And I'm talking BIG. Some Schnee company freighter or something. If I were a villain mastermind wanting to score some of it, there's no way I'd pass it up!"

Blake held two fingers to her chin as she thought it over before nodding "It's worth a try"  
Sun smirked in triumph as Jaune clenched his fist, preparing himself mentally for what he may find later that night.

* * *

"You know, we'd probably make better progress if we didn't stop every five minutes for you to sign some kid's t-shirt" Yang mused, now realizing the cons that came with inviting a 5 star celebrity out into the city on a Sunday. Pyrrha rubbed her arm bashfully

"I'm sorry if I'm causing trouble, but I couldn't sit comfortably knowing my teammate is out there in the cold. She has a home to return to, and she should know that" she spoke warmly, managing to alleviate the slight frown on Yang's face as she welcomed her sunny outlook.

"Harbouring a fugitive is also a crime, you know" Weiss muttered, earning a glare from Yang but Pyrrha shook her head, a fight breaking out wouldn't help a thing.  
"You know I'd love to step into Jaune's shoes one day. Being about the only one that the Ice Queen will trust would be nice" Yang mused, just loud enough for a scowl to appear upon Weiss's face.

"I am capable of trust, what you are thinking of is blind acceptance, and that's dangerous. Not all fiends are as clearly displayed as the furred monsters in black and red, you know" Weiss chastised as Yang's temper began to simmer slightly.  
"And what you're doing with Jaune isn't blind acceptance? Who's to say he didn't just run out on his own? Everybody has secrets"

"I'm _aware _of that. But Jaune and I have been through things, through events that if any other person had been with me, would result in my death or capture. It's only when you've been to hell with a person and they still stick with you no matter what that you can fully trust a person.

I've seen what he'll do for me, I know I can trust him.  
Even if that means trusting him to act like an idiot and ride along with the former terrorist into hiding out of some foolish act of kindness" she added as a side note, Yang felt the anger in her fester but decided that the heiress was not worth losing her close friend to.

"Let's ask in that café!" Yang called over to Ruby as they carried on their search, leaving a troubled heiress staring down at the ground. Pondering whether or not she was justified in her view, or whether her vision truly was as clouded as Yang said. Either way, finding those two would confirm it.

Weiss didn't want to be someone so low that they would judge by race but the thought of losing another loved one to _them _was too much for her, it would hurt less to suspect Blake now and be right then have hope only for it to be crushed as she lost someone else. For now, the only thing she could do now was convince herself of the worst, then she could either be pleasantly surprised, or...

* * *

As night fell upon Vale, the moonlight shone down upon the sea and reflected off of it, giving a beautiful mirage to veil the criminal activity happening on top it. On the docks were dozens of crates with the typical Schnee snowflake insignia painted upon them being deposited down into stacks, unloaded by several muscled men below, and above the scene on top of a warehouse sat three bored teens sitting beside a collection of stolen green apples.

"You know James Pond would be enjoying his downtime between bad guy movements a lot more than us right now..." Jaune sighed with boredom, his reference being lost on the faunus beside him who simply continued to stare blankly down at the events below, Sun was absentmindedly chewing on one of his collected fruit.

"You guys sure you don't want any? They'll give you some energy" Sun held one in an outstretched hand, offering it to either of them, Blake frowned at him  
"Not really in the mood for your stolen confectionery right now, Sun" Blake berated the monkey faunus as he scrunched up his eyebrows, offended.

"Hey, weren't you the one who stole from a-"  
"Too soon" Jaune interjected, just in time before a sudden searchlight shone from above, illuminating the way for the roaring engines of the airship as it flew overhead, soaring towards the docks before coming in for a gentle landing.

Blake tensed, this was it.

As the hatch doors opened, a man in a black hooded outfit with a white chest plate branded with a blood red wolf and a mask obscuring his identity exited the vehicle, followed by several others.

"Oh no" Blake whispered, her fears confirmed, Sun looked over to her with sympathy in his eyes  
"You really didn't think they were behind it?" He asked gently as Blake eyed the White Fang members make way for someone.

"No, deep down I knew. I just wish I was wrong" She muttered, Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder but was surprised when her eye's widened violently  
"This can't be right..." following her gaze, Jaune looked to see the face that had been plastered all over the news around the time he got to Beacon.

Roman Torchwick.

"Hey what's the hold up?" he hollered, swinging his cane to and fro as he addressed the men, "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, soo why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?"

Blake stood herself up, causing both teens to look up at her in surprise as she equipped her weapon  
"This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like _that" _she prepare to leap from the rooftop.

"Hey! What are you doin-?" Sun yelled out but Blake was already gone. Kneeling as she landed, beginning to stalk quietly through the shadows of the night towards the collections of crates. Ending up at the one just behind where Roman was berating one of the thieves.

"You idiot, that's not a leash!" Roman scolded, annoyed at the sloppiness of the animals that came 'highly recommended... he was _also _annoyed by the sudden feeling of cold metal being pressed up against his neck as he was taken from behind.

"What the-?" He averted his eyes sideways, catching sight of the young teenage girl that had captured him unaware "Oh for fu-"  
"Nobody move!" Blake commanded, prompting the nearby soldiers to raise their weapons in alarm.

Deciding to reason with them, Blake put forward her sole bargaining chip, pulling on the loose string keeping her bow together, causing it to fall to the ground, revealing her heritage to the nearby soldiers.

"Brothers of the White Fang, why are you aiding this scum?" Blake asked, her reveal causing the fellow faunus to lower their weapons, Roman simply chuckled, about to offer a response when he was cut off swiftly by a gasp.

In true stand off fashion, the girl holding the human at swordpoint now also felt a blade, pressing against her throat and almost cutting into her aura. She felt a dangerous presence behind her and didn't dare turn her head, but she could smell something, some_one _familiar.

"_Brothers?! _I'm pretty sure you no longer have the right to call us that, traitor" the voice chuckled as Blake completely froze still to the spot, having hoped to never hear that threatening voice again, but as whatever devils held grudges against her had willed, he was here.

"Isn't that right, Blake?" Adam snarled, tightening his grip on his weapon. Roman chuckled as the sword was hesitantly removed from his neck and he stepped away from the fearful feline.

A loud whirring interrupted the tension as two more airships appeared in the sky, shining the searchlights on the captured faunus as they began to make their way down. Blake tightened her grip on her own blade, would she be fast enough to escape Adam's clutches without her head being forcibly detached from her body?

"It's over, I finally found- Ugh!" Adam grunted, feeling a sharp pain, Blake hadn't moved and seemed just surprised as he did, her eyes seemed focused however and as Adam followed her look he found the source of discomfort- a spike of ice that was imbedded in his sword arm.

Blake saw her opportunity and elbowed the taller boy in the ribs, ducking under his blade and rolling away from him, holding up her pistol to his chest. Adam attempted to take a swing at her but his arm was becoming numb fast and he lost his grip on his weapon, causing it to fall and clatter on the ground.

There was an exchange of looks between the two former partners as the prey and predator had swapped roles, Blake's one of heated anger and Blake's onw of harboured content, Blake saw him as another part of her past. Something to be forgotten.

"Oh, Kitty?" came a sly voice as Blake turned just in time to see the red tipped cane firing a projectile straight for her as she barely managed to evade a direct hit, the impact of the blast by her feet sent her hurling backwards in a tumble before she clumsily got to her feet and fled round the corner, followed by the maniacal laughter of the man in the bowler hat.

Adam grumbled as he painfully pulled out the shard of ice and threw it to the ground, looking in the direction it must have come from and seeing a rooftop up on top of the warehouse with a flash of white hair visible in the distance.

So he was here too...

* * *

Having successfully freed Blake, and gotten a little taste of sweet revenge, Jaune surveyed the scene from up high , not as big a fan of acrobatics as Blake or Sun, who he now saw jumping from a rooftop onto Roman's face before landing down to take on about a dozen White Fang members, not wanting to waste five hours of waiting on a rooftop and not get in on the action, Jaune decided to assist from a distance.

As he spectated, Blake and Sun now took on Roman in a flurry of combined attacks, Jaune didn't want to risk hitting either of them so he watched carefully for an opening, his arm outstretched.

As Blake manoeuvred around Sun, she delivered a barring blow to Roman as he was sent reeling to the ground a few feet away, he recovered quickly however and raised his cane towards one of the cranes, firing a flaming projectile towards it and causing the links to sever.

Blake and Sun immediately rolled out of danger's way as a crate crushed the ground they had occupied seconds earlier, Sun however seemed to tumble immediately back into trouble however as Roman now had him on the end of his cane, the crosshair at the end lifting as he prepared to fire.

"NO!" Jaune shouted as he channelled another spike through his palm in a desperate attempt to rescue the monkey faunus, however his arm was now in severe pain as a vice like grip now took hold of his arm. Looking to his left, the first thing he saw was the smirk. Then the end of his fist as he was propelled backwards into a wall, hearing a crack as he let out a grunt.

"Remember me, snowman?" The teal hooded figure asked as Jaune placed the toothy grin, memories of seeing that very grin in the murky waters of the frozen lake where he obtained his powers. It was the same White Fang member!

"This time you'll be runnin' scared" He jeered as he raised his arm and several slits near his wrist opened wide, Jaune could feel the heat as scalding water was fired from the faunus' arms, with Jaune taken surprise, not able to react in time. He felt the heat skyrocket as the water closed in.

Then...

Then he felt cold.

Opening his eyes stood a sight so unbelievable he had half a mind he was concussed. Standing before a shield of ice was an heiress kneeling with her rapier plunged into the concrete, just in front of him.

"Never run off again, you dunce" Jaune smiled at her words, feeling the strength return to him as he got to his feet, standing beside Weiss as he inspected the shield of ice feeling a warm sense of nostalgia.

This moment was short lived however as the ice was hit with another blast of water that almost instantaneously melted half of the structure, revealing the hooded faunus, smirking at them through the gap.

"I might need some stronger ice... Weiss, if you wouldn't mind?" Jaune turned to her as she sighed, still thinking the method was too reckless, but in this kind of situation, they always managed to pull through somehow.

With that in mind, she stabbed her rapier into Jaune, making sure not to hit anything vital and unloaded some of her dust into him, causing his eyes to suddenly shine a brilliant shade of blue as he began to feel much more powerful.

"Let's go" he told her with a confident smile as a small smirk graced her features.

Weiss equipped her rapier while Jaune raised his hands, visible icy mist emanating from them as they stood as one, once again.

* * *

**Hello, had a good day? Good, I'm glad, I'm assuming you did because if you didn't then I'd look like an ass for presuming... also I have no way of knowing... anyway I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Next chapter I will round off this arc and I plan to go off canon for a bit. After all, I imagine reading the same things you have already seen in the series would be boring, right? Don't worry, I will get to the events in season two, including a certain prom... maybe, probably... okay well definitely how could I pass that event up?**

**Leave a review if you want to either say what you liked or what you didn't, or if you just want to call me an ass for assuming you had a good day!**  
**Next chapter will be coming sooner than this one, hope you look forward to it!**  
**Thanks for the ongoing support, as always- RareNyte**


	18. Snowstorm: Part Two

Roman screwed his eyes, noticing the teal donned faunus standing on top the warehouse, was that where the ice had come from?  
Well, with the ability he'd seen from Tiburon, they shouldn't be a problem anymore.

Sun looked up to Roman who had slacked his arm while distracted, Sun took the chance and leapt up, striking the gang leader with a solid right cross, causing him to topple backwards into a crate before Sun equipped his staff, taking a defensive stance as Roman glared daggers at him.

A sudden glint in his eye changed his demeanour however as Sun heard a metal clink as he felt the cold steel against the back of his head.  
"You chose the wrong side, brother" Adam scorned, moving his finger to the trigger as Roman let out a mocking laugh.  
Blake eye's widened with horror from where she lay upon the ground.

"Stop!" She shouted, outstretching her arm, not noticing the fellow huntress behind her do the same.  
Neither did Adam, as the shotgun suddenly lurched backwards, a black glow emanating from it, striking the assassin in the forehead and causing him to lose his footing.

Sun saw the opportunity and swung his staff around, connecting it with the side of the red head's skull as he fell to the ground.  
Blake turned round in surprise to see the flame haired warrior smiling warmly at her.

"We have come to help, teammate" she stated gleefully as she held out her hand. Blake looked bewildered.  
No questions had she asked, she didn't even look angry at her. She just shone that smile, letting Blake know her friends were there for her.

Taking her hand, she got to her feet, letting a small amount of happiness enter her eyes in return as Yang and Ruby walked up to them.  
"Got most of the other gang members, you found Blake?" Yang greeted, earning a bashful nod from Blake as Ruby grinned at her.

"Yeah, _most _being the prominent word!" Sun called out as the others turned to him to see the angered red swordsman get to his feet and hold his arm to his blade, emanating a silent fury as Sun watched him carefully.

"Does he really think he can take all of us on at once?" Yang chided, punching her fists together as Pyro Black readied their weapons, Adam chuckled darkly.  
"That doesn't matter, you're not the target" before the team could decipher what he meant by that, he charged.

* * *

Another blast of ice was barely dodged by the jagged toothed fiend as he spiralled in mid air, closing the distance between him and his prey, attempting to grab hold of the boy in the lavender sleeve hoodie.

He was intercepted by the ponytail girl who thrust her rapier in his path, forcing him to lower his arms push himself sideways off the ground, coming into a roll to their side.

The snow haired teen swung his blade in his direction, the assassin dodged to the left.  
He swung it back, the assassin jumped back the perfect distance, allowing the sword within inches of his face, taunting the target.  
Unexpectedly, the teen brought the sword back the same way.

Was he hopelessly thrashing around? Tiburon laughed at the fish out of water, standing still and waiting for the blade to pass harmlessly by.  
What he didn't predict was the sudden increase in length from the blade as he felt the cold edge dig into his side before his instincts took over and he flung himself out of harms way.

In awe, Tiburon looked up to see the blade had been extended by conjured ice that shaped the end of the blade perfectly, increasing the length of the sword by almost double.

Tiburon felt his side, his aura protected his skin from breaking but it the cold still bit away, numbing that side of his body slightly.  
In his moment of weakness, the heiress suddenly sped forward with the help of a glyph, once again striking with her rapier, not thinking clearly the faunus jumped into the air as the heiress suddenly came to a stop.

Activating her semblance once more, Weiss cast a glyph that suspended the assassin mid-air.  
He resisted the control but it was very restricting, causing him pain when he attempted to break free.

The lavender sleeved boy clipped his sword to his side so that he could raise both arms. Before he would have to waste time crafting something like this from the moisture, but now the essence of the ice was within him and he already had it at his disposal.

A heavy mist grew from his hands as his eyes began to shine, the assassin wriggled relentlessly to escape but it was to no avail.  
A surging blast of ice was expelled from the teen and was sent towards the captured enemy in a fierce beam.

Tiburon yelled as the blast hit, the severe cold began to freeze him from head to toe, the boiling water inside his arms was turning to steam as he was taken over by the storm that had its way with him.

After a few seconds, Weiss released her glyph, allowing the massive beam of ice to send the faunus flying towards the docks below.

Tiburon didn't have time to react as he collided with the concrete. A cloud of mist rose around him as a loud crack sounded and echoed around the battleground.

Jaune leapt from the warehouse roof, softening his blow with a layer of snow that he created where he landed.  
He stood in wait as the mist began to clear.

Just as he was able to pick out a blurry shadow among the air, the cloud was broken by gushing water in his direction, in an instant Jaune turned his shoulder to the side, feeling the heat pass by as the liquid hit the warehouse walls behind him.

Without missing a beat, Jaune raised his arm in turn and fired a spike of ice from his palm, hearing the projectile pierce flesh as the mist settled.

There in front of him stood Tiburon, his entire body was coated with frost while his left arm and legs were frozen to the bone and the arm that he had held out now shook in pain as the spike of ice now rested embedded into it.

"N-No! I w-w-won't be taken back!" Tiburon growled, his nattering teeth refusing to cease as he could barely keep himself from shivering  
"I'm f-free! I'm the h-h-hunter now!" he yelled, Jaune looked on at his foe with a cold stare. Not letting his guard down yet but the words of the assassin sticking in his mind for later.

As he was about to call out to the others to see where they were, a voice interrupted him.  
"Oh, Sno-laf! Heads up!" jeered the ginger crook in the bowler hat as the sound of chopper blades alerted him to the sky.

Hovering above him were three more gunships, and on the ground in front of the crime lord Roman stood reinforcements of the White Fang, their weapons trained on Jaune.

"Give it up, kid. Let the bitey boy go and we'll come to an agreement that may _not _end with you at the bottom of a river!" Roman called out as Jaune tensed.

"I'm afraid we can't allow that" Spoke a calm voice as the last of the mist dispersed, revealing two figure standing opposite the grunts on Jaune's side, one holding his dual SMGs up at Roman as a challenging grin was sported by the girl who stood behind him, waving her grenade launcher at each one of the soldiers.

"We're his friends, after all! Plus without him, we'd have to be team Ll-vender White and that doesn't look _nearly _as good on a banner!" Nora called out, making the grunts recoil in fear as she motioned the grenade launcher in their direction.

From above, Weiss jumped down from the rooftop, activating a glyph beneath her before stepping down and landing beside Jaune with her weapon facing forward.

Whilst Jaune was relieved that his friends had come for him, the situation was still dire, Nora could take on an airship with her weapon but she'd leave herself open to gunfire from the soldiers, Ren could handle his fair share but in such an open area he would be strapped for cover.

Turning his gaze to Weiss, he thought about what she could do, figuring Nora's attack would be more effective if she focused purely on that, it would be better off if Weiss could help with the foot soldiers, her surface explosion glyph could take out quite a few but that left her to the mercy of the hail of bullets that were sure to be fired her way before she could position it.

Jaune's head began to hurt as the pressure increased, he couldn't come up with some intricately detailed plan so he would have to go with something basic, yet powerful. They needed cover and to take care of the airships... Jaune racked his brain, a solid mass... something big and... pointy.

His eyes widened as an image came to mind, it was a long shot and last time he did it, he had a forest of snow surrounding him, but with Weiss's ice he felt powerful enough. He needed to hold still for a moment but couldn't leave the others exposed while he conjured up his trump card.

Deciding to turn everyone's attention towards a single goal, Jaune addressed his team.

"Everybody, protect me!" he yelled as the three sprung into action.

Usually such a selfish sounding order would be met with opposition from all involved, but in this case, knowing who Jaune is and what kind of person he was, they followed his word without question.

As Jaune began to channel his power, Ren jumped backwards firing a barrage towards the group of soldiers on his side, taking out a few and causing the rest to become panicked suddenly as Nora did likewise, firing one grenade into the crowd before landing next to Jaune, transforming her weapon back to hammer form and guarding it against her leader's body.

Ren held out his arms and channelled his aura, creating two lilac barriers in front of them, rebounding the gunfire that had begun to chase them as they ran back. Weiss stabbed her rapier into the ground, causing a ring of fire to encircle the team, preventing the enemy forces from getting closer.

As the hail of gunfire started to break down Ren's conjured shields and the airships began to ready their weapons, Jaune began to focus harder, feeling the strength and power build up inside himself like a snowstorm as he felt it grow. Filtering it into the ends of his palms, Jaune took a large breath in as his eyes shone a bright icy shade.

_"Now!" _

His call was heeded immediately as Ren lowered his shields, Nora retracted her weapon and Weiss stepped back. Jaune lunged forward and thrust his palms in front of him, connecting them with the concrete as he channelled everything into the ground. Feeling the same sensation he experienced when he met Blake as he put in everything he had.

Cracks appeared in a line as the ground begun to be tore apart from underneath, before suddenly large spires of ice crashed up through the concrete, extending towards the enemy. Dozens of blades of ice were sent in a burst towards the enemy as the forces below had to quickly get out of the way or risk being impaled.

The sharp points of the structure pierced the sides of the airships up above as their engines began to whir like mad before the pilots lost control and the vehicles began to plummet towards the ground in fiery explosions.

Upon Jaune's command, Ren, Nora and Weiss charged forward, using the ice structures as cover as a joint effort of launched grenades, rapid gunfire and cast dust projectiles were hurled at the disjointed enemy.

With the chaos of the spears of ice coming up from the ground and the impacts of the heavy metal aircraft coming into contact with the ground, the enemy was mowed down without mercy, falling at the sheer power of the team they faced off against.

Roman had already fled to another airship, climbing aboard without looking back but muttering as the doors closed behind him  
"I gotta get me one of those weather powers..."

It wasn't long before the enemy was completely wiped out, Ren delivering a finishing kick to a soldier that had attempted to play dead.

Weiss sighed in relief as Nora sent her a 'mission accomplished' grin and thumbs up, it was customary.

Tiburon let out a wail from where he stood frozen to the concrete, having been left, abandoned, he was going to be taken again.

Watching from the back, Jaune could only smile at his friends as they revelled in their victory, Jaune on the other hand didn't feel too excited, in fact... he felt tired.

He didn't notice the pony-tailed figure in white approaching him, or hear her calling for his name before his vision became blurry and he fell forwards into something soft.

Looking up, he thought he saw two shining blue sapphires looking back at him as his vision faded.

* * *

_Jaune opened his eyes, feeling the comfortable bed beneath him and the layers of blankets upon him that draped down him as he sat up.  
He looked around himself, he was in a well-lit room, sunlight shining in through the window, and though he saw snow upon the windowsill, he felt warm._

_That was odd, warmth wasn't really something he experienced anymore. But this was undeniable. It felt wonderful._

_"You idiot"_

_Jaune's eyes were drawn to the figure sitting on the bed that he hadn't seen before. She was dressed in pure white, like an angel, and her features didn't betray her. Her figure was sleek and elegant and her eyes were like gems, captivating him, her hair was immaculate and pure, cascading down her shoulder._

_But, of all this, why was her smile the thing that drew him in the most? Maybe it was because it was such a rare delicacy that he wasn't graced with often._

_Seeing it now in all its beautiful glory was a gift from above._

_She opened it to speak and Jaune prepared himself for the graceful words that were to drop from it with great expectations._

_"Drink your cocoa" she spoke, but while her voice was soothing and kind, it wasn't right, it wasn't her. _

_It was.. wait, was it...?_

_No, she was the only one here, who else could it be?_

_"_Come on, wake up, you need to drink something warm"

Jaune's eyes blinked open. She wasn't here.

Pyrrha held out a cup to him, smiling down at him with as much warmth as always. Jaune stared at her, what had just happened?

"You were exhausted after that attack, we had to bring you here immediately, which actually saved me from having to answer any questions. So thank you, now drink up" She handed him the beverage before beginning to fill him in.

"Roman got away, and we managed to stop Adam... but when we went to check on you and your team he got the better of Sun and escaped, Sun gave chase through the night but he couldn't get him back unfortunately. He's safe though" she expressed regretfully, obviously blaming herself slightly.

"We apprehended the one who attacked you though!" she exclaimed, brightening up again "It was rather easy thanks to your handiwork!" she praised, hoping to cheer the boy up, who had been staring rather vacantly.

Jaune turned away from Pyrrha and looked to his side, half-expecting to see Weiss with her head down, having fallen asleep after reluctantly staying to watch him. But she wasn't there... why?

"If you're wondering about her, she did stay for a while, but she left with Nora, she said something about being coerced into helping bake 'get well' pancakes for you. Ren's outside though if you want to speak with him" She told him, not losing her serene tone, even with the unusually distant attitude Jaune had at the moment.

"As for the others, they had to stick around for some questions, and Blake was being brought to Ozpin's office last time I saw her. The strange thing is, Cardin, and yes, Cardin Winchester, came to see you. He didn't say anything but he looked satisfied that you were okay at least. Odd" she remarked with wonder but Jaune was lost.

Sure, Nora could be convincing but Weiss was nothing but stubborn. Then, how come? And... why was he obsessing over this?

Then he gasped sharply.

He had realised something, and it was dangerous.

* * *

Pyrrha hadn't had any qualms with him leaving the bed as soon as he woke up, helping him gather his belongings before he set off, thanking her for waiting with him. Surely as she had said it, Ren was waiting outside for him.

With a brief exchange, the two set off together towards the dorms. On the way, Jaune needed to confide in someone, and right now the one he could trust not to say anything to anyone else was walking beside him.

"Ren, I need to talk with you... about Weiss" he started, Ren turned his head to him in mild curiosity at his irregular tone, silently, he nodded.  
"Before, Weiss always had this... barrier between herself and everyone else. It prevented her from making genuine bonds and trusting anyone, she wouldn't let anybody in. Besides me"

* * *

_"You two, how many times, must I say, we are a team now, so in order to... co-operate... efficiently, we must have order. And, as a team member, I would like to suggest that we cease the childishness. I will not allow you people to interfere with Jaune and I's time here with your silly antics" Weiss addressed the two formally, the slight venom in her tone not going unnoticed by the boy still in bed.  
_

* * *

Ren remembered it clearly, though was Jaune saying she was different now? She still prioritised him over anyone else, didn't she? It was why it had been difficult establishing relationship and trust with her.

"It was a problem, and I wanted to help her, so did you and Nora. I couldn't be the only one she put her faith in, so we did our best to break her out of her shell. And we made progress"

* * *

_"Yeah! Representin' the L-W!" Nora cheered as she stood triumphant over her foe. Ren merely smiled at her before turning to Jaune and Weiss._  
_"Now, are we finished here?" he asked, all present knowing that he meant more than the current situation, that he was actually asking if they had finished dividing into two and if they were ready to act as a unit._

_Jaune gave a grateful smile and nodded as Weiss reluctantly followed suit. It would be better for everyone involved if they got along, she supposed._

* * *

_"We should hear her side of the story first, then we can make our judgement" he spoke calmly, making sure Weiss was the only one to hear. He knew the chances that Blake would do something so extreme were scarce at best, securing his team leader's safety took priority._

_Weiss paused, looking at Ren sceptically but nothing about him made her question his motives, with a slow nod, they carried on._

* * *

"She is still rather..." Ren spoke, Jaune shook his head.

"I know, but the fact is, right now, Weiss agreed to make pancakes with Nora without being tied up or threatened" Jaune joked, but his tone remained dull, causing slight concern in Ren as he inspected Jaune's expression.

"But it's like when you try so hard for someone else, you... begin to forget what you're feeling, what you want. And just now, I received a taste of it."  
Ren didn't respond, allowing Jaune to carry on in his own time.

"Something like this happened before, remember? After initiation?"

* * *

_"AGH!" Jaune exclaims as he frantically pushes himself back up against the bed's back board as the giggling red head, now no longer wearing the lab coat, steps back to join the bemused looking Lie Ren and the normal sized heiress standing with one arm bent against her waist, looking impatient._  
_"Feeling better now? It's nearly time for the ceremony" she speaks with poorly veiled irritation as Jaune gathered his bearings.  
_

* * *

"Seeing you there was great, I felt like I was finally part of something greater, and I was happy that you guys turned out to be my teammates but when I compare it to another time... it didn't compare."

* * *

_"That's better, now Jaune... Jaune?" she turned only to find that the boy was no longer scattering around the room._

_In fact, the only audible sound was the quiet sharp breaths of a shape buried beneath the blankets on the bed._

_"...It's still happening isn't it?" the rapid chattering of his teeth were answer enough, she sighed, annoyed at the teen's secrecy. "Don't put on a tough guy act, I know you're freezing" she sat on the bed and began to stroke some of his uncovered snow white hair._

* * *

"Jaune, are you saying you-?" Ren began to ask, but he stopped himself. It was hardly an appropriate question, if Jaune was going to say that's how it was, Ren decided he should let him say it himself.

"When I start to think about them. All the times it was just the two of us against everything that was thrown at us, the times I was willing to go further than I ever had to help her, and the times she cared for me and helped me through the most relentless suffering I have ever endured.

I think about what I felt back then, and I suppose you can say it felt good. It made me happy that we were important to each other. But, it's more than that. It's something much more selfish, and something that I only just realized now.

She only trusted me, she only showed kindness to me, she wanted to be on a two man team with just me, she didn't like anyone else getting close to me, she wanted to hunt down Blake to find me, I was her only... I was the one closest to her.

And now that I'm saying this, I realize it. The days with her, the two years I spent miserable, finding her again and getting so much closer, now I realize how selfish I truly am.

All those things she used to do. I liked them"

Ren was legitimately taken aback, what he had thought to be a confession of something else altogether was something he had never seen coming, he remained silent as Jaune struggled to find the right words.

"I _liked _that I was the only one on her side of the barrier, even if I didn't admit it to myself it was true. It's quite honestly the most selfish desire I've ever had, but it's the strongest.

She was having serious problems with trust and faith and all the time I was enjoying it deep down.

Everything we did was to stop her being so attached to one person but now that she's being pried away I realise that I am the one who doesn't want to let her go. To the point where I wouldn't even go to my family for help because I wanted to be alone with her.

I'm... I'm terrible, aren't I?"

They continued to walk silently towards the dorms, Ren was at a loss, he had never considered that Jaune was possessive of Weiss, at least Jaune was open about it, it meant that he wasn't planning anything. Otherwise, Ren would stop it.

They'd just about gotten their team working, Jaune obviously didn't want to compromise that, but if he let it fester and build up inside, the end result wouldn't be pretty.

If Jaune truly wanted to be the leader he was selected to be, then honeyed words reassuring him would do very little to help, thus Ren had to tell him exactly what he needed to hear.

"Jaune, you care for Weiss, you want to see her grow into a fine huntress and let her do whatever she wishes. So be the leader she deserves, think smart, act rationally, be the best leader you can be, because you are the only one she'll have. If not for the team or yourself, do it for her, but don't let it cloud your judgement.

You have to be resilient, you have to be able to take on the responsibilities without question. That is expected of you.  
If you worry about your bond, remember that you were her first ever friend, and she'll never forget that.  
Nothing can tear you apart, but for now, you have to be the leader.

After that, see where you stand" Ren finished.

Jaune didn't say a word back, he continued working, Ren eyed him in concern. Was what Ren said too much?

A few seconds passed, Jaune slowly nodded.

Ren sighed inwardly, praying that this was truly the right thing to do.

* * *

The chilling wind whistled past him as Jaune stood, standing upon the rooftop, looking up at the distant clouds swirling above.  
He had not gone back to the dorm, his head was spinning far too much. Trying to take in what he had heard, and what it had all meant, the visions of his mind always transforming into one individual.

"You survived another battlefield collapse, then?" behind him spoke the same figure that had been in his thoughts moments earlier. Standing with her hands on her hips, a sarcastic smirk upon her features.

"Y-yeah, sorry to worry you, I'm back to normal now, see?" Jaune held out his palm an upon his inner command of will, the air formed into the shape of a small snowflake dancing around his fingers nimbly before it scatter in pieces, lost to the wind.

"Well, that's fine then, but you realise what will happen if you continue to tease death like that, right?" she chided, a furrowed eyebrow indicating her disapproval.

Jaune chuckled. Feeling something he had felt before in the dream, it was something he felt when he was with her, rather, it was something he felt _only _when he was with her.

That feeling was why he had grown attached, and why he now felt so distressed.

For when he was in the presence of the heiress, he experienced the undeniably feeling emanating within him, causing him to feel something he had thought long gone, but it was unmistakable.

It gave him _warmth._

It was biologically impossible, his entire being had been changed, the only thing keeping him from relentlessly shivering underneath a blanket right now was the fingerless gloves on his hands.

But perhaps it wasn't some natural quality the gloves possessed, but instead their origin.

* * *

_"More importantly, I have something for you!" the girl announced cheerily before taking out the lavender pair of finger-less gloves and presenting them to him._

_"They should help you with the cold, though I'm not sure if you'll feel warm exactly..." she trailed off before she suddenly felt something take hold of both her hands, looking down she noticed they were the pure white hands of the boy in the bed caressing her own. They weren't warm, exactly the opposite but somehow.. it felt nice._

_"They're perfect"  
_

* * *

"Jaune?"

Jaune jumped slightly, he had been lost in thought, lost in memory. Weiss was staring back at him with a rare look, not a scowl or frown, but a genuine look of worry for him. She still worried about him.

Jaune shook his head, stopping himself. He couldn't allow himself to start thinking along those lines or else he'd be overcome with simultaneous hope and doubt. For now, his head had to be clear.

"You know that troublesome girl will eat the very pancakes she had intended for you if you make her wait too long... Unless" Weiss talked slowly, considerate of her words. Stepping closer to Jaune "Is there something you want to talk about?"

Jaune's fists tightened, the temptation was far too endearing for him, but he had to be more than himself today, he had to be a leader.

"No, I'm fine. You head back down, I'll come by in a minute. Then I think we should go over some commands in combat for the team, easy to learn terms that we can use as code for manoeuvres and things like that" he replied with a forced tone of complacency, feeling a small dagger piercing his side as he said the words.

"Oh, well then. Don't keep us waiting too long" Weiss responded, however it was clear he hadn't helped her worry, she hesitantly turned around and began to head towards the door leading to the stairwell. Jaune sighed, then relaxed. This is what he had to do.  
Weiss opened the door and began to disappear from sight.

_"I want you to stay" _

It was a slip up, he had relaxed for just a moment and his screaming heart took its opportunity.

"Huh?" Weiss stopped mid-step, her hand resting on the half opened door, she peered back at Jaune, a tinge of red evident on her otherwise clear white face.

Was she hearing things? Jaune had his back turned to her, so had she just imagined it.

For a long-lasting moment, Weiss and Jaune stood immobile on top of the roof. Lingering in silence as they both neither spoke a word, both waiting in anticipation.

Weiss offered Jaune a last look, his snow white hair flowing in the wind as he remained stoic, she remained their for a small while, watching him, waiting for him to turn.

Jaune stayed where he was, he stayed rooted to the spot, the wind being the only sound amongst the empty orchestra. Until it was accompanied by the sound of a closing door. Jaune was alone.

All alone.

* * *

**Hey, thank you so much for reading. Told you this chapter would come quicker, it's longer too. (Though that is helped by the amount of flashbacks)**

**For anyone having questions about Tiburon and Adam, no, this is not the end for them.**

**I have decided that, now I have reached the end of volume one, I will go off canon for a chapter or two, they will still take place in Beacon with our colourful cast, but they will allow me to tell the story of this Jaune and Weiss through their own stories rather than adapting from the show.**

**Of course, I will do volume two as well. A certain event has to take place in a fiction like this after all.**

**But, if you enjoyed or have an idea or something to say. Either PM me or leave a review if you like! I promise to get back to you as soon as I can :)**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	19. The Slow Thaw

**Hey, RN here, who else? Had a few requests to explain Jaune's power in a simple way to understand so let me try to explain.**

**On whether or not it is his semblance, I would like to wait until we discover Jaune's canon semblance before saying for sure.**

**His aura is the generator, his aura is converted by the dust integrated into his DNA into ice. Of course, this contradicts Jaune's idea that his inability to cast ice in an earlier chapter was due to lack of moisture in the air, it was a result of his original source/generator (aura) running low. His aura powers the dust like a generator, the power generated is converted into different forms by the dust mutation, such as:**

**Causing hard ice to spread from where he touches (This is also used to extend his blade/line the soles of his shoes with a layer of ice to allow him to skate on land)**

**Summoning ice/snow where he wills it to appear (where he conjures piles of snow from/how he creates the ice barriers and other structures)**

**Can conjure projectiles of ice to propel in any direction (the 'spike' of ice Jaune sent at Adam)**

**Can now send a beam of ice from his hands that freezes what it comes into contact with (Likened to the 'Frost Beam' from Elder Scrolls)**

**There are several side effects to his ability.**

**His body cannot adjust to the ice power within it, he should be constantly cold but the dust infused gloves keep his body temperature from plummeting. However he is not able to feel the sun's warmth.**

**His aura does not work like usual, he cannot create aura shields and his body is not protected by normal aura. The dust infused with him does provide some protection however.**

**His appearance is also affected , though this one is not exactly hard to figure out**.

* * *

Some say school days are the best days of your life, and that if you don't open your eyes you might miss them. However in this instance, with the sounds of an eccentric ginger serenading her frying eggs as Ren attempts to prepare his rice whilst urging her to stay quiet in case she might wake someone, Weiss opted to keep her eyes shut tight.

Perhaps then this moment would disappear and it would be replaced by one of a peaceful morning where a dropping pin could accompany the delightful ambience as she prepared herself for her day. Of course, dreams, however grandeur and well-deserved, are what they are. Dreams, fickle apparitions constantly interrupted by-

"Noraaaa!" Weiss' eyes shot open as the sheer force of the voice nearly caused her to topple out of bed, sitting up with her arms she was met with the sight of a smiling girl holding out a plate of butter treated pancakes with a grin. "Sorry, you were going to miss breakfast" she giggled as Weiss sighed, unsure of the honesty behind her statement, pondering whether this girl got a kick out of inducing early morning trauma.

"Oh and Jaune said he was going out for a walk, that's kinda vague though so he could actually be engaged in a highly secretive operation that involves protecting Beacon from a sudden invasion of human Grimm hybrids, either way he said he'd be back in the afternoon" Nora chirped as she pranced back over to her cooking station, Weiss turned around and sure enough the bed was empty.

What's more surprising is that it was actually _made, _leading her to think it must have been Ren, which means Jaune had left a while ago.  
She couldn't help the inkling of loneliness that she felt waking up with him already gone but she shook her head, not intending to overthink it any further.

She got up from her bed and opened her drawers, pulling out her casual wear, subconsciously picking out her lavender tinted skirt and jacket before taking out a shirt and undergarments before heading over to the bathroom door. Jaune had his own life after all, and there were no team activities that day, there was no need for him to be there.

That, however, didn't stop her taking a second look at the vacant bed beside her own before she entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

* * *

He twiddled his thumbs, clicked his tongue, tapped his fingers upon the wooden table, subtly coughed into his hand, her eyes remained glued to the pages.  
Her unbreakable focus when reading was surely an admirable trait of hers, but it did lead to the occasional suspicion that she had entirely forgot the other person accompanying her across the table.

"So... had any weather recently?" Jaune asked, this time glad that Blake was too engrossed in her novel to notice his presence, and take in that awful attempt at breaking the silence. Her eyes continued to track left to right and Jaune tried to follow them, moving his head accordingly but ending up getting light headed at the rapid movement and being forced to stop.

She was truly a machine. What was she reading anyway? Jaune peered at the cover _'War History: Forgotten Records'_ . Jaune figured that'd be a read she'd be interested in, but upon closer inspection, was the cover too small for the actual book? He could see the corners of the black book peeking out the sides of the light blue cover.

As he stared at it further, the cover slipped down for an instant, revealing a very different title. Jaune screwed his eyes in an attempt to read it.  
"N...Ninjas of... l-l"

Without another second, the book was slammed shut and facing the table, the title concealed by the girl's hands as she looked up to Jaune  
"Sorry, were you saying something?" She spoke rapidly, fixing him with an unwavering stare. It unsettled him to say the least.  
"Uh..." he began hesitantly, Blake twisted her head slightly, not helping the slight fear that had snuck up on him.

"Hm?" She prodded, causing Jaune to gulp, smart enough to know when to retreat  
"Nothing" he spoke quietly, she kept her piercing eyes on him a while longer before looking satisfied but she didn't turn back to her book.

"I hear you blacked out at the scene the other day, are you alright? I should have visited" She asked him with worry, having been intercepted by Ozpin before making it to the main school grounds.

Jaune smiled at her, happy that she had been concerned about him but not wanting her to feel bad about it  
"It's fine, it was a pretty eventful evening after all. What did Ozpin want?" With his question, there was a change in Blake's demeanour as her eyes fell to her feet.

"He must know, Ozpin. About my past. He questioned me but I told him only what he needed to know, but I think he could fill in the blanks on his own" Her tone had grown solemn, her body language becoming defensive as she pondered what would happen if her past was grounds for her being an informant for the police, she never came forward with her information before after all.

Jaune shook his head and placed his hand on Blake's tensed arm, rubbing it with his thumb as she looked up to him  
"Trust me, Ozpin's a good guy. And it's impossible to pull a fast one on him, it's probably likely that he already knew exactly who you were. Knowing him." Jaune stated confidently, not liking seeing the regular stoic girl show such insecurity.

Blake let out a small smile at his actions, before emerging into a small fit of giggles, completely out of character for her as Jaune looked at her in confusion, had he said something stupid?

Blake wiped her eye before laughing at Jaune, "You really do fit your role as my older brother, you know? Have you been practicing?" Blake asked jokingly  
"Seven sisters, Blake, you learn a few things" he said as they both shared a small laugh, albeit a quiet one as they were in the library.

"And yeah, I'm fine. But I've been told no combat for the weekend" Jaune sighed, having hoped to get some practice at his newly discovered ability to create a beam of ice. He supposed it would have to wait.

"Lucky for you there's other ways to enjoy yourself today!" Jaune and Blake turned to the new voice to see the girl with the red hot hair and warming smile giving a proud smile as she approached with her hands on her hips.

"I have been invited into a little three on three competition and I was wondering if you two would join me!" She announced, holding out her arm towards the door as three opponents swaggered in, well to be truthful, two did such, the other meekly followed in from behind.

"Sun!" Jaune exclaimed, happy to see Sun seemed completely fine after that night, having heard that he had pursued the red haired faunus through the city.  
"You woke up quick! I told you he'd be fine, you worry too much" Sun addressed Blake, causing Jaune to smirk at her as she sighed at the fellow faunus' indiscretion.

"Hey, my name's Neptune, you're the ice guy right?" the blue haired boy introduced himself. Jaune smiled at him and nodded but couldn't help but shake an odd feeling. Why did he feel like he really wasn't going to like this guy?

The third member gave them a quick nod without saying a word, Blake raised an eyebrow  
"Velvet? Why are you with them?" Blake asked but before the shy girl could speak Sun chimed in  
"She's gonna help us beat your team, right?" Sun bragged, turning to Velvet who simply nodded quietly.

Jaune raised, knowing that the decision probably wasn't all Velvet's to make and that she had simply gotten swept into doing it when a hyperactive blonde monkey faunus came up and begged her.

"That sounds fun. But I can't do any combat, remember? That includes sparring" Jaune regrettably informed Pyrrha but she shook her head in response  
"Oh, don't worry. This is different" Jaune sent her a suspicious look as she reached into a small satchel she had brought in with her and pulled out a dark grey sphere the size of a football that somewhat resembled... a bomb, and presented it to him

"We'll be playing G-Ball!" She announced joyfully. Jaune looked to Blake in confusion, she shrugged at him before Sun grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted the boy out of his chair forcefully and smirked at him.

"Game on, snowman" he fixed him with a challenging look as Jaune nodded nervously, what exactly was he getting himself into?

* * *

"The rules are simple" Pyrrha began. Jaune looked around himself, clad in a black tee and red jogging shorts, up in front of him to the right was Pyrrha in an unusually casual get-up, wearing a dark red tank top and light blue shorts.

Level with him to the right of Pyrrha was Blake who had a black v neck and red hoodie, her bow still present as she placed on a pair of black wristbands.  
"Both teams run to grab the bomb in the centre, once a member of your team has it, you must try to run and place it on the platform on the opposite team's side whilst they try to defend it. Once you place it, the round is won. We will be playing best of three" she stated to all present on the training ground.

Across from them, on the other side of the painted white line and metal sphere in the middle, was the opposing team, Sun stood in front with his regular unbuttoned shirt with denim shorts and a new light blue headband above his eyes.

To his left stood Neptune smirking in a dark blue jersey, his confident smile still inexplicably ticking off Jaune. And to the other side stood Velvet, standing not-as-confidently in a light blue sleeveless shirt and athletic shorts, probably not having been briefed in fine detail as to what she would be doing, Sun probably having neglected that part whilst getting pumped up for the game.

"One more thing, no weapons allowed but we can use our semblances to gain advantage in battle!" Pyrhha reminded them as Jaune thought hard about what that meant for him.

"Yeah, yeah we get it. Real quick, call out your team names and let's get this started!" Sun yelled impatiently, already jumping from side to side in anticipation.  
"We'll start, come on team FAUNUS FURY-AND OTHER!" Sun fisted the air in valour as Neptune frowned at him from his left.

With a brief exchange of words, and a look of doubt before one of acceptance, Pyrhha too called out  
"Fight, team SNOWMAN-NINJA-SPARTAN!" Jaune smiled at his creativity as Blake rolled her eyes, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

_"GO!" _

With their commands from both of their leaders, the two teams began their charge towards the middle, deciding to make quick use of Pyrhha's rule, Jaune channelled his power and felt the friction disappear between his shoes and the floor as a layer of ice appeared between them.

Now skating towards it at twice the speed of the runners, he reached out his arm to grab the metal sphere. His fingers outstretched and came into contact with the surface and he was sure he had it in his grasp.

Then it was gone.

Jaune blinked. What had just happened? Surely the other team hadn't been able to catch up in that quick a time.  
Craning his neck, he saw what appeared to be Sun running towards the platform on his team's side, yet he was oddly bright. In fact he was shining yellow!

Sending a glance to Sun's side, he saw the regularly coloured Sun standing with his hands pressed together before he opened his eyes and smirked at the dumbfounded expression on Jaune's face.

Could that be his semblance?

Quick to action, Blake stepped back to block the astral clone off and went to swipe the ball from it. The clone didn't move to avoid Blake and she managed to steal it from his grasp and begin to run past the projection and towards the centre line. It was at this moment however that she felt a hot sensation behind her as a sudden explosion sent her careening forwards.

She just barely managed to stop herself from losing her footing as she turned back, her eyes wide in shock. The clone exploded?  
Blake turned to face the blond faunus with a dangerous glare that caused him to flinch slightly before she began to sprint forward, crossing the centre line in a matter of seconds.

Sun shook his head, re-focusing himself as Blake began to close in. Neptune ran forward to intercept Blake but she reacted instantaneously, spinning around him and continuing on forward towards the platform.

She was immediately faced with Sun who had rushed over to her and outstretched his arms in front of her, removing her exit paths as he watched her carefully.  
The girl in front of him raised her gaze to lock with his, forcing him to focus all his attention on her and nowhere else. Sun's eyes narrowed as she didn't make a move to either side.

Then Sun felt something dash by and he immediately twisted his neck around to see a girl with flowing black hair passing by with a metal sphere in her hands as she zoomed past him. In a moment of confusion Sun looked back to the girl in front of him and witnessed her form fluctuate and blur before disappearing altogether!  
Realizing what had happened, Sun turned around in horror as Blake reached the platform and placed down the G-Ball.

Sun stood slack jawed as Blake walked back past him, presenting her own small smirk on her face as she had beaten him with his own trick, except that hers was executed much more skilfully, using her own non physical shadow clone to direct Sun's attention while she circled around.

"Round 1 is ours!" Pyrrha proclaimed their victory as Jaune smiled widely at his teammates, Blake returned with her confident smirk still intact and Pyrrha took hold of both their shoulders and nodded gleefully "One more and we win!"

On the other side of the training grounds, Sun was lamenting over the wool that had been pulled over his eyes as Neptune placed a hand on his shoulder supportively  
"Sorry, dude. We'll get them next round" he stated half-confidently as Sun grunted, his pride damaged.

"Umm, excuse me... I have an idea" both boys turned in surprise, having temporarily forgotten the rabbit faunus was there as she called for their attention  
"If you'll hear it, that is..."

Sun and Neptune exchanged a brief look of wonder at what the shy girl had come up with, and whether or not it would be aggresive enough to secure victory, but deciding there would be no harm in hearing her out, they turned back to her and nodded as she let them in on her plan, and whilst it was a simple one, it got Sun to recover his confidence as he smiled at her intensely.

"Let's do it!"

* * *

Away from the revels on the sports ground, a certain heiress sat on a bench outside the cafeteria, reading the same page of her History notebook over and over, evidently something troubling her mind.

Apart from her were Nora and Ren, standing away from each other as Nora began to take exaggerated tip-toes around him  
"And thennn the faunus waited until the human soldiers had gotten bored and sneeeeakily stepped around them before-"  
"Wrong" Ren interrupted, sighing into his palm.

Nora pouted "Well what was it then? I was close, wasn't I?" she asked hopefully, Ren shook his head solemnly.  
"Night vision. They waited until nightfall to attack when they couldn't see. I thought you said acting out the events in real life would help you remember these things?" Ren eyed her suspiciously, already having suspected the words to be a ploy to get out of regular studying.

"It isn't I promise!" She exclaimed nervously, frantically racking her brain for something , showing visual distress at the task before suddenly standing straight, having suddenly remembered something. "The humans realized what was happening and unleashed their HIDDEN ATTACK! Laser eyes were the key to winning the battle at fort... fort... that fort, that day!" Nora finished with a not-so-convincing smile of confidence.

"We're going back to the books" Ren dead panned without a moment's hesitation. Nora sighed in annoyance but didn't protest as Ren wouldn't listen anyway, when it came to her keeping up in class Ren took no chances. It was his own way of caring, she supposed, not that he cared THAT much of course...

A clank of plastic hitting the table caused her to look up as her two teammates joined her, greeting her with a smile and a nod, bringing with them a tray of food for their lunch.

"Here, we bought you this" Nora placed a large red apple in front of the heiress as she placed down her book. While she probably would have preferred the fresh olive salad, she supposed it was the thought that counted more.

She took a small bite before placing it back down and returning to her book. Nora and Ren exchanged a look of worry before turning back to the heiress who was doing a rather canny Blake impression at the moment, excluding the bow girl's tendency to turn the page when she was done reading it.

"Weiss, is there something on your mind?" Ren asked carefully, deciding not to tip toe around the subject much.  
The heiress sent them a confused look "Why ever would you ask?

"You've been on the same page for 15 minutes" Ren informed her, she frowned at the boy who reconsidered his bluntness for a moment before she responded  
"I'll have you know It's a very interesting page! But yes, I may be a little distracted. Is it necessary to say it out loud?" she asked irritably.

Ren looked down. This was partly his doing, he had encouraged Jaune to try and distance himself a bit so that he could learn to be without Weiss but he hadn't really considered how Weiss would feel about it. Ren knew that it would take time for them to get used to it, but now he started to doubt his own reasoning as he witnessed how quickly Weiss could become lonely.

He supposed it was natural after spending two years thinking you'd never see a person again.  
As Weiss finally flicked to the next page, Ren couldn't help but wonder about the bond between Weiss and Jaune, and whether keeping them together was such a bad thing after all. They complimented each other well, kept each other in check. Perhaps this wasn't necessary.

However on the other hand, maybe Weiss needed some experience bonding with others first, for when their school time here was over, those she worked couldn't always have Jaune there to get her to open up. Maybe she did have to learn it herself. Whatever the case, only time would tell.

* * *

Now time for the second round, the teams had reset and swapped sides, the ball returned to it's spot in the centre and both teams keeping their gazes locked on it. Something seemed odd about Sun's team to Jaune, he would have expected Sun to be spiteful or fired up after a loss but he stood fixated on the ball with a sense of determination about him. Had they devised some kind of plan?

Strangely, they had drawn a small crowd of other students who had come to watch on their day off after hearing the commotion around the training grounds, including none other than Yang Xiao Long who raised her left arm, taking a glance at the two opposing teams before calling it  
"GO!" She yelled as the huntsman and huntresses were instantly in motion.

This time it was Sun who somersaulted over to the ball, kicking his legs out to push Jaune, who had gotten to it second, stumbling backwards as he swiped it for himself. In response, Blake and Pyrhha quickly retreated back to defend their platform, but Sun didn't charge them.

Instead he ran backwards. Jaune and his team looked on in confusion but realised that getting the ball off Sun when he was nearer his platform would be a definite chance to win the round. Getting to his feet, Jaune began to skate towards the blonde faunus.

As soon as Jaune crossed the centre line Neptune was on him, but Pyrrha quickly moved in to block his advance and Jaune carried on his pursuit.  
Blake who had hung back in case of a surprise charge, watched the third member of the blue side who had not contributed as of yet with curiosity.  
She was staying close to the centre line, not in any position to receive a pass.

Jaune quickly closed the distance between him and the retreating faunus and raised his arm to make a grab for it when Sun suddenly changed his stance, holding his left arm in front of him and reeling his right arm back, almost as if he were about to... wait, surely not?

"It's all yours, bunny girl!" Sun shouted before thrusting his arm forward with all his might and sending the ball flying towards the red side, but simply landing the ball on the platform didn't count, surely he knew that?

It was at this moment that Velvet sprung into action. Rather literally.

All eyes were on the faunus as she bent down to the ground before leaping a definite 10 feet in the air, into the path of the thrown sphere and caught it mid-jump.  
Jaws almost reached the floor at the sheer height the girl had jumped to. Reinforcing Jaune's earlier thought that faunus really did come in all variations. Some have razor sharp shark teeth, other have hyper-sensitive cat ears, some have super powerful hind legs.

As everyone watched in awe, Velvet landed gracefully before speeding over to the platform and setting it down before anyone even thought to move. Taking a deep sigh she of relief, she turned back to the others.

"That's a point, right?" she asked, back to her timid self as Sun let out a hearty laugh, confirming it for her as she mustered a well deserved proud smile.  
Jaune, Pyrrha and Blake stood wide-eyed. Had that... just happened?

* * *

"..What is going on?" Weiss asked as the trio found themselves at the training ground where a large crowd had gathered. Students on their day off shouldn't have duties or class on the week-ends, so what had drawn them all here?

Among the crowd was a familiar face sipping a soft drink in excitement as she joined in with the crowd's cheering.  
"Ruby?" Weiss called out as the girl turned round, noticing the three and energetically beckoned them over.

Deciding to quench their curiosity, they approached the younger huntress and asked what the big turn out was for.  
"What?! You didn't hear about it either?! There's a team G-Ball competition moving into its final round! And you'll never guess who's competing!" she chirped as the trio took a look past her at the training grounds that had been turned into a makeshift G-Ball court.

It took the heiress a second to register the sight in front of her. The faunus from the boat, the shy girl from the cafeteria and some boy she didn't know stood on one side, and on the other, Pyrhha, Blake and no other than their absent leader, Jaune.

"It's a tie right now, so this is the decider!" Ruby squealed as Weiss spotted Yang holding a large sign, '_FINAL ROUND_' sloppily scrawled upon it, obviously the quick work of one of the spectators.

Yang waited for the crowd to die down before looking left at Pyrrha, then right at Sun, then closed her eyes as she swung her arm downwards  
"GO!"

This was their final chance, and everybody had been giving it their all, making use of the rules to their full extent, what sort of leader would Pyrrha be if she didn't follow suit for her team?

Thus, as her two teammates ran for the centre, racing against the other three who also moved in like an approaching army marching in to seize victory in their final fight, Pyrhha stood where she was, raising her arm towards the centre.

Jaune had already summoned the ice beneath him and Blake was gunning it at full speed, matched by Sun who had stopped mid-run, summoning two of his astral projections to charge forward as Neptune followed suit. Velvet also made use of her monster leg strength to extend her strides to move at inhuman speeds towards her target.

Just as all hands reached for the metal sphere, it was gone. But this time none of them had taken it, instead it flew backwards towards the red side. Straight to the hand of Pyrhha Nikos who stood with her arm outstretched, allowing it to come to her before yelling out to her team.

"Blake, go long! Jaune, make sure I don't miss!" She was met with no hesitation as Blake instantly made a direct run for the enemy platform, easily dodging the disoriented attempt to stop her from the Neptune who had stumbled over when the sphere had been moved from reach.

"Not so fast!" Sun wasn't going to let it be that easy for them as he took a large stride forwards to stop the bow girl's advance, not noticing the slippery surface beneath him before he lost his footing and collapsed to the floor, made harder now that section was covered in ice courtesy of Jaune, instantly catching Pyrhha's meaning.

Velvet too attempted to pursue but the task was made infinitely more difficult when she looked down to see her legs encased in a small block of ice.  
Blake reached the placeholder and turned, ready to receive the sphere.

Pyrrha adjusted her aim, taking into account the difference in weight and shape between the ball and her spear before nodding confidently to herself and taking a step back before thrusting her arm forwards, sending the sphere flying towards the cat faunus who managed to absorb the impact without injury before turning and without missing a beat, placing the ball down on the spot.

There was one moment of silence where what happened registered in the mind of the crowd present before there was an eruption of deafening cheers that echoed throughout the school grounds. Causing a certain headmaster to chuckle as he saved the recording of the security footage from the training grounds.

Pyrrha exhaled heavily, letting a grand smile overcome her features as she ran over to Blake and Jaune, enveloping them both in a bone-crushing hug that left both unable to breath, but they let her have her moment, both sharing her elation at their victory.

"Team SNOWMAN-NINJA-SPARTAN is the victor!" Yang announced, having elected herself as the commentator for what was initially meant to be a friendly private competition between a few friends.

"Okay, maybe allowing semblances wasn't the best of choices, considering there was a player who could literally call the ball to her at a moment's notice. Next time, no freaky powers, especially you, plus I'm not even sure yours counts as a semblance!" Sun accused Jaune, who couldn't exactly deny what was being said, it certainly didn't make him feel guilty though.

He was too busy celebrating for that!

* * *

Following the match, Nora had insisted they have a celebration immediately, which was immediately turned down by the sweaty group of teens who wanted nothing more than to meet the warm waters of a shower at that point. After which they would revel in their victory.

Jaune smiled to himself as he dried off his hair in the bathroom. Today had been exactly what he needed. A break from the never ending series of life threatening events and emotional rollercoasters he had been booked for since coming to Beacon. He wondered if it was selfish of him to want another day just like this one, just having fun with friends and not a worry in the world.

Yet there was one thing he felt was missing from that day.

A knock at the door interrupted his musings as he quickly began to dress himself in a loose white tee and black jeans he had bought before arriving at Beacon.  
"Just a minute!" Jaune quickly dried his fingerless gloves with the hair-dryer, being forced to wear them even when in the shower and headed to open the door.

He swung the door open and for the first time that day, Jaune came face to face with Weiss. She was dressed differently today, wearing a lavender tinted jacket and skirt that suited her incredibly well. Though he knew they were only casual wear and not something he would see her in often after today.  
"Hey, how's it going?" Jaune began as if it were any other day.

Weiss narrowed her eyes at him, she knew he was doing that on purpose, and he knew she knew. He had avoided her and she knew it yet she didn't speak to accuse him, her eyes did it for her well enough. Jaune felt an incredible sensation, not incredible due to how good it felt, rather how horrible he felt at that moment.  
He couldn't stand it.

"Sorry, the others are probably waiting. I'll see you down there!" he expressed cheerfully before walking on ahead out of the door, leaving the heiress alone. Confused at why Jaune was acting like this, and confused as to the small dagger that seemed to press against a certain part of her chest whenever she thought about it.

* * *

**Hey! RareNyte here. Now this was a bit of a different chapter, I fear I may have re-awakened a bit of my love for Kuroko no Basuke recently and this was the result. I hope you liked it as it was just a little piece of fun. Well hey, it was a long one, that's something, right?**

**Please leave a review if you have something to say, whether you liked the chapter or not or if you have an idea that you want to share that I can consider for future chapters! Thank you so much for reading and I hope to release the next chapter soon enough!**


	20. Frozen Flames

The sound of crushing leaves was all that was heard as the team strode past the coal black trees into the Ash Woods, the landscape of burnt and scattered foliage growing repetitive as a layer of smog obscured the skies above. This was truly a dreary place.

It was hard to believe that there existed such a contrast in the world that on one day, you would be playing ball sports with friends under the sun, then the next traipsing into the site of one of the greatest forest fires in history. This wood, which had before been occupied by poorer civilians and faunus, was scorched to the ground when a huntsman was fighting against a crowd of Grimm and misdirected his dust attack.

In such a thick woodland, the fire spread without any chance of stopping it. Within a week, the lush shades of green had been taken over by the darkest of greys and the population of the area had dropped to zero, some who had left upon seeing the fire, others... for another, more tragic reason.

Jaune shook his head vigorously, he couldn't let the ghost stories of the area get into his head. Lest he risk a mission such as this. On this occasion team Lavender White had been assigned a recon mission, according to reports by huntsman in the area, monstrously large groups of beowolves had been gathering deep inside the smoke of the forest.

They were to check the numbers and then make the call whether to take them on their own or fall back and call for assistance.

As the foursome walked further into the wood, Jaune matched his pace to Weiss'. Jaune felt pangs of guilt whenever he received a sidelong glance from the heiress that would turn away as soon as he met her eyes, even if it was just a little, he wanted to be able to have normal conversations with her.

"Hey, Weiss. How you holding up?" he asked, simple and generic as the question was, it was a start. She barely offered him a turn of her head as she responded  
"Perfectly well, a Schnee is trained to the highest standard on all aspects of combat, including stamina. This is easy" she stated matter-of-factly  
"Easy as a walk in the desolate forest, huh?" Jaune joked quietly, Weiss didn't crack a smile, as expected.

Looking over his shoulder, Ren sent him a sympathetic look as Nora trudged on beside him, beaming as she talked to, or rather _at _Ren, unaffected by their grim surroundings, that was one of her best features in Jaune's opinion, priding herself on a bright grin in the face of danger.

The foursome descended into silence once more as they approached their designated location on their tablets. A blinking red dot indicated their objective, a cliffside overlooking a large clearing in which the Grimm were supposedly gathering.

They exchanged looks briefly, even Nora understood the need to remain absolutely silent as they went to observe.  
Slowly Jaune, Ren, Nora and Weiss all stepped toward the edge of the cliff, hoping that they would either see nothing at all or at most, a small pack of beowolves lazing around on the ground.

They saw something entirely different.

What they saw was an _army._

All four stared in disbelief as hundreds, probably breaching a thousand black beasts scoured the ground below. Some were standing around aimlessly while others seemed to be actively searching their general area for prey. One thing was shared between all. The look of hunger in their eyes. Devoid of a soul or conscience. Their devil red eyes accurately representing their essence entirely.

Being the first to recover from the shock, Jaune snapped into action and grabbed Weiss and Nora by the shoulders and pulled them away from the overlook as Ren blinked wildly before retreating himself.

If they were to be seen by even one of the monsters, the entire battalion would be unleashed upon them.  
_"My call? We head back and call for those reinforcements, NOW" _Jaune whispered to the others authoritatively. He was met with no opposition as they all nodded in turn and proceeded to turn their back to the cliff.

As they strode away without a word, Jaune's heart began to beat heavily, hearing the grunts and growls of the horde behind him, slowing his treading pace to a mollusc's if it meant going unnoticed.

It was then, in that moment when they were just about to re enter the burnt grey woods that their exit was made a whole world harder, in front of them, blocking off the opening into the leafless wood was a single beowolf. Staring straight at them.

They all froze, none daring to speak nor act. Weiss tried desperately to remember the lessons at Beacon in which Professor Port would enlighten them on the behaviour patterns of Grimm. If a single beowolf spotted you, its absolute first instinct would be... to alert the entire pack.

Jaune surveyed the very few options present, Weiss could summon a glyph beneath the monster's feet and take it by surprise. No, too much noise. Nora's arsenal was obviously not an option, Ren probably couldn't silence it without getting in close first. The only silent method Jaune could think of was one of his own techniques.

The beowolf didn't approach the group, rather it stood its ground and began to bare its fangs in preparation for tearing apart its next meal. Jaune raised his right arm slightly and began to channel his power. Following this a structure of ice began to sprout from the ground, rising to the beast's height as it snarled, unaware of Jaune's work.

Just as it extended its claws, the ice structure suddenly sprouted two extensions from its sides that curved around the bewolf and began to restrain it before the ice rose to cover it's thrashing jaw. Taken by surprise, the beast failed to move before it was trapped in place.

However just as the ice began to overtake the black snout, it lurched forwards, allowing the ice to encase part of its skull so it could deliver one final message.  
A booming howl that echoed through the wood.

Weiss took initiative and lunged forward with her rapier, piercing the chest of the beowolf immediately and quickly silencing it.  
Nobody moved. There was no sounds in the air. Weiss turned round and shared a pale look with her team, fearing what was to come next.

A chorus of growls confirmed their fears as they rose their hands to their ears to muffle the deafening cries of the hundreds of beowolves in the clearing below.  
The sound of their claws digging into the cliffside in an effort to reach where they stood alerted Jaune as he once again addressed his team-mates.  
"COME ON!"

The monsters of Grimm clawed their way up to the top of the cliff to see the sources of the cry running off into the thicker section of Ash Woods, they wasted no time heaving themselves on top and initiated their charge.

* * *

The sound of a thousand footsteps pursued them as they sped through the desolate forest, the heavy smog becoming an immediate problem for them all as it became a heavy struggle to breathe the air.

As pack in front's growls became a little too loud for comfort, Nora span round, Magnhild in launcher form as she fired three projectiles towards the oncoming beasts, exploding upon impact and killing a fair dozen of them, though this was not nearly enough to halt the charge as even more filled the gaps the fallen wolves had left behind.

Running with all their might, Ren held out his arms, barraging the enemy behind with heavy gun fire from Stormfire, accompanied by Weiss swinging Myretenaster backwards to create an assortment of offensive dust projectiles and landmine like glyphs that also worked to thin their numbers.

Jaune reached for his tablet, careful not to lose balance as he skated forward, and took a look at the digital map, searching the area for anywhere safe.  
"Come on, come on!" he urged as his team just barely kept the chasing beowolves at bay with their combined attacks.  
Finally he spotted something, a chance.

To the west of them was a large old cabin that had been used by higher ups in the armed forces during the war when they had to plan in private locations. It was built upon large stilts that meant you could keep an eye on the surrounding area rather easily. If they could escape there, that location would be good for holding up and calling for back up.

"THIS WAY!" Jaune bellowed as the three members immediately heeded his request and took a sharp turn to the left, off of the barely there path and onto the charred grass at their leader's order.

Jaune sent a glare towards the black army that was headed towards him. Almost tempting them by standing still and prompting them to let out ravenous growls as they closed their distance.

Deciding to lessen their amount of followers, Jaune channelled his power once more, casting a thick, wide layer of ice where he stood before turning away and following after his team.

The approaching Grimm monsters were far too distracted by their fleeing prey to notice the change in the surface beneath them as they lost all traction and crashed into the hard ice, tumbling forward uncontrollably as those following behind them tripped over them and suffered the same fate.

Dozens more followed suit as Jaune smirked to himself, happy to help keep those beasts away from his team.

* * *

With the barricade of fallen beowolves aiding their escape, Lavender White ran west, directed by Jaune as he led them to the stilted cabin.

The cries of the beowolves and the thundering footsteps were still clearly audible, but it wasn't getting louder, meaning they were not headed in their direction just yet.

The team slowed their pace down to a walk as their lungs began to scream, the smog not doing them any favours as they ran from the predators.  
Jaune took a look round at his friends, Nora was no longer smiling, luckily it seemed she was rather tired of running for such a long time and was feeling a little hungry, nothing more.

Ren was worse off, the boy was not exactly known for his stamina, the sight in front of Jaune not doing anything to contradict that. He wiped his brow as he breathed heavily, still, as with Nora, he seemed to be okay.

Finally, Jaune looked to Weiss, as expected, her demeanour was flawless. Walking forward elegantly as always without showing any signs of fatigue or injury, that was the price of being a Schnee, their world renowned pride. Thankfully, knowing her as long as Jaune had, he could tell she too had gotten away without any major issues.

After a few minutes of treading over the colourless grass, the smog in front of them cleared to reveal their make shift base. The cabin stood relatively high, supported by stilts and seemed to offer sufficient cover, however..

"Aw, I expected it to be cosier..." Nora pouted. Jaune had to agree, whilst it was a remarkable feat that the cabin had persevered the inferno, it didn't come out unscathed by any stretch of the imagination. The dark brown wood was singed black in many places, a large section of the roof had been completely burned through and all the windows were no less than half broken.

The smell of the burnt wood invaded their senses as the team visibly recoiled from the scent, however this was what they needed  
"I guess this'll have to do" Jaune lamented before inspecting the structure a bit closer. From the information on the tablet, guests used to climb up using an extendible ladder that would drop from the terrace, however that was no where to be seen, likely another casualty of the fire.

Turning to Weiss, he held back a smile at her repulsed expression, naturally used to accommodation of a higher... less incinerated standard,  
"Hey Weiss, do you think you could use that Glyph of yours to get us up?" Weiss looked annoyed at the prospect of having to repeat the same action for their rescue party later but relented with a sigh.

"Fine, stand back" closing her eyes in focus, she raised her rapier and formed a black Glyph around her team members in turn and raised them to the higher terrace, ignoring the elated 'woohoo' that came from Nora as she was flown through the air.

The door to the cabin opened with an elongated creak as the four looked inside. Dust and ash coated every surface and darkness obscured their view of the tattered furniture and broken pieces of wood that littered the floor.

Wary of the structural integrity of the stilts, the team walked slowly in, not making a sound in case some beowolves had gotten adventurous and decided to hole up in the cabin.

Weiss looked mortified, the dark and damaged house was much different to the white palaces she had been raised in, still, she was a huntress and that meant she had to make do. For her team as well as her. Following this train of thought, Weiss located the living room where the fireplace connected to the chimney from the outside and revolved the cartridge in her rapier.

Underneath the scarred and useless wood sat some smaller logs of firewood that looked relatively unaffected. Ren, Nora and Jaune entered the room with curiosity before their leader smiled, knowing her intention.

The fire ignited the second the tip of Myretenaster made contact and a warm orange glow illuminated the room. There was a feeling of serenity that was instilled in the four teens as they flickering flames in the fireplace soothed their hearts after a pulse raising chase from the beasts that still howled in the distance.

Nora immediately went to sit next to the fire, warming herself up as Ren too indulged in the warmth, instead sitting crossed legged behind Nora, a small smile making its appearance upon the usually stoic boy. Even Weiss rubbed her hands together in front of the burning logs, enjoying the warmth.

Their leader, however, stood by the doorway, the appearance of the fire not affecting him as it did his friends. He was content watching them enjoy the heat warm their tired bodies but a part of him wished he could partake in it as well.

Dismissing these thoughts, Jaune pulled out his tablet and dialled the number in the digital keypad, back up was no longer just an option, they needed some help.

_"Hey Jaune! How's the mission going?" _came the innocent call of Ruby Rose from the other end, Jaune smirked as her cheery tone lightened his mood a tad, the other members of his team turned from enjoying the fire in interest.

"It's not the best, there were _way _more beowolves than we had thought. You feel like helping us out, along with Blake, Pyrrha and Yang? We need you guys, there's at least a thousand of the guys out there" Jaune expressed, Lavender White and Pyro Black together was a formidable force but against such numbers he'd rather be safe.

"_Okay, I'll see what I can do!_" Ruby responded willingly before ending the call, Jaune chuckled, she never was one for small talk.

* * *

An hour passed as team Lavender White held up in the cabin. Nora had taken the liberty to cook some canned food on the stove, happily humming as she stirred her steaming tomato soup. Ren had set her on the right track, hoping to avoid _another _catastrophic forest fire before taking watch on the terrace.

Weiss had spent the time making adjustments to her rapier, refilling the cartridges with the appropriate dust vial, cleaning the blade from hilt to edge to ensure it functioned properly for their next encounter.

Jaune was looking at a map projection of the area on his tablet, trying to come up with some strategy they could use to take down the overwhelming forces in a single brute force attack, relying of course on Ruby and her team of heavy hitters that were flying in.

Without a dam of water to burst that he could use to freeze them all he was short on options.  
It was when he was considering another large style ice blast over half the forest that would likely leave him without a scrap of aura that Ren called for the team's attention.

"I see the airships!" he spoke as the rest of the team gathered on the terrace to witness the metal aircraft indeed hovering a few hundred metres away.  
It lowered itself down to the ground, their vision blocked by black trees that reached high into the sky.

After a few moments, Jaune opened up his tablet and tapped on Ruby's ID, calling her to tell her their co-ordinates. There was a dial tone for a few seconds as Jaune waited patiently, then it stopped. No one picked up.

Jaune suddenly felt a sense of foreboding that was quickly supplied with clear evidence. The all to familiar sounds of dust rounds unloading and cracks of metal hitting bone were heard from the terrace, combat had broken out.

They had been caught by the horde.

* * *

Jaune skated in front just as before whilst his team dashed behind him, racing towards the scene in order to assist.  
Even if Ruby and the rest were caught by one group of the army, it wouldn't be long before the entire force was upon them.

As they neared the landing area of the airship, they spotted their first beowolves, a pack of twenty chasing after a buxom blond as she ran ahead of them before skidding to a sudden stop and reaching back and shooting her right fist forward into the head of the pack, sending him crashing into the rest as they fell to the ground in a heap.

"Hey, thanks for the invite! This looks like a heck of a fun party!" Yang exclaimed, mirth evident in her adrenaline hungry stare as her eyes burned a bright scarlet before them, looking more ferocious than Jaune had previously seen. This must be her semblance.

"Where are the rest?" Jaune called over, not thinking it a mystery that Yang had gotten caught up in her battle frenzy and had neglected to notice herself leaving her companions behind.

"Back there I think, let's plough through these losers!" Yang roared as she led Lavender White towards where she had come from. As they ran, numerous beowolves lunged at them from all sides, Jaune keeping them at bay with Crocea Mors whilst his team made quick work of their attackers on their own.

The next person they came across was Pyrrha and Blake fighting back to back, parrying the oncoming claws of the black beasts as they charged towards them. They seemed to be doing rather well but whenever they would cut down one attacker, two more would take them from another angle.

Just as one was about to sink its jagged teeth into Blake's shoulder that had become exposed after she parried an attack with her katana, a sharp spike of ice smashed through the Grimm's skull and stopped it in its tracks.

The surprised Grimm had no chance to dodge as a grenade and hails of lilac gunfire rained down upon them, sending even more beowolves into the ground as Jaune approached the two fighters who looked both relieved and shocked by their arrival.

"You two all right? " he asked them with worry, they both nodded as Jaune looked around the landing ground for the fourth member of their team  
"Where's Ruby?" both of them looked at each other in confusion then their expressions turned to worry as they realised their fourth member was nowhere to be seen

"But... where could she have gone?" Pyrrha questioned as she scanned the area. Blake took a moment to herself and stood completely still, closing her eyes and focusing. At first Jaune was confused at the action but the a twitch of her ears was all it took for the realization to dawn on him that she was using her natural faunus ability to hear with much higher sensitivity than humans.

After a few seconds of turning her head for a few seconds, Blake seemed to settle on one direction before abruptly opening her eyes and pointing to the east.  
"Over there! She's surrounded!" Blake called out and without another word Jaune, Blake and Yang made chase, leaving behind Ren, Nora, Pyrrha and Weiss to fend off the never ending forces.

It took a few seconds of frantic running before a red hooded figure became visible through the smoke, surrounded by thirty or so beowolves. She had no one covering her rear and the beasts began to realize that, repositioning themselves to her disadvantage.

They needed to act fast, without wasting time shouting out orders or battle plans, Jaune skated to her aid, barging with his sword and shoulder into a side of the circle that surrounded Ruby, toppling several to the ground as the others were alerted to his presence.

They didn't have sufficient time to adapt their battle strategy, however, as a fiery blond collided her shotgun blast propelled fist with the beowolves, leaving none standing as they were sent smashing through several worn burnt tree trunks.

The four of them worked together to lessen the number of beowolves surrounding them, their combined fighting prowess easily eradicating the ambushers as for every two that joined the circle, the team had taken down five.

The relative confidence Jaune had gandered, seeing the gangs of dastardly beasts being struck down where they stood made him increasingly careless as he cut through another three with his sword that had been elongated by his ice.

Having wanted to try it out, Jaune quickly placed his sword to his belt before thrusting forward his palms as a frosty beam was shot from his hands towards a dozen beowolves, freezing them in place before Blake raised her pistol, shattering the newly formed statues where they stood.

Jaune smirked, happy to keep taking on the beasts as they came, his adrenaline rush clouding his senses as a dark shape approached from behind, a looming tower of a Grimm much different to the infantry they had been taking on.

This beowolf was easily thrice the size of a usual beast and had claws that expanded further and sharper than any seen before on that battlefield. It let out an booming cry as it raised its powerful right arm to strike the unsuspecting hoodie wearing teen as he turned to see darkness overtake his vision.

Blake and Yang noticed too late as the beast was upon him, they couldn't possibly get to him in time, they could only watch in horror as the claws looked about to break past Jaune's aura entirely and shred his flesh right off of him.

They barely noticed the blur of white pass them by as it sped towards the mega sized creature. Jaune braced for impact, feeling the heavy paw come within centimetres of his face before a loud clang sounded from in front of him.

For a very brief, fleeting moment. He saw her, the girl he had rescued from the airship so long ago, his first real friend, his partner, his beautiful companion. Blocking the blow from the behemoth. Her back to him but her head was turned, her eyes gazing straight into his.

His stare of utter awe and bewilderment was met with one that showed clear devotion and affection, barely veiling the immediate fear in herself but her eyes didn't waver, she hadn't regretted her decision, not in the slightest.

Then the moment was over. The sight of the heiress tumbling behind Jaune, careening from the impact and landing with a dull thud that made his heart drop.  
He couldn't move, only stare in horror as Weiss came to a stop, before lying entirely still.

Within a second, Ruby was unloading rounds from Crescent Rose into the monster's back as Yang channelled her fury and pounded upon it from the front, protecting Jaune as she took on its inhuman strength with her very own.

With the arrival of Nora, Ren and Pyrrha, who had followed after Weiss. The decision was quickly made by Ren to make an escape back to the cabin and lose their pursuers in the woods.

Jaune 's mind had come to a complete stand still after seeing what had just transpired but his body moved on its own, running over and gently lifting the fallen heiress before forming ice under his shoes and skating after the others as they took out the nearby beowolves on their retreat, leaving none to follow them as they headed to the safehouse.

* * *

They made it back in a longer time than they had taken to get to the airship as they were forced to take alternate routes to avoid the wolves following their trail.  
This time around, Jaune had almost without thinking, summoned ice beneath him that shaped itself into a rough flight of stairs that he ran up with the heiress in his arms, the amazed look of his friends behind not reaching him as he burst through the door.

Running immediately into the living room where the fire still burned on, Jaune laid Weiss down beside it, on the scarlet red rug that had black marks ruining the edges before rummaging through a rucksack Nora had brought along with her and left in the room, finding a light blanket and rushed over to lay it on top of her.

Without a pillow in the house and nothing of the sort in the rucksack, Jaune almost ripped his hoodie off of himself before folding it and placing it delicately beneath her head. It wasn't like it was helping him anyway.

Jaune remained with her as the other members of both teams entered in through the door way to see Jaune attending to Weiss, making every effort to make her feel comfortable, giving her one hundred percent of his attention as he failed to notice Ren kneel by him.

"The impact dealt heavy damage, but her aura absorbed most of it, it's likely the force trauma that knocked her unconscious, she shouldn't have any long lasting injuries but she should rest" he spoke soothingly, laying a supportive hand on Jaune's shoulders who nodded in response, whispering a small '_thank you' _before Ren patted him and stood up.

Nora and the others were obviously concerned about Weiss' well-being but seeing how Jaune had reacted, there was a mutual feeling that it would be best not to interfere. It was clear that Jaune would be there for her.

Blake decided to keep watch on Jaune for a while longer, sitting peacefully by the door, watching Jaune tend to Weiss with the utmost care, it was clear to her now just how close he held the heiress to his heart as he stroked her hair away from her face as she lay asleep.

Whilst she wouldn't tell Jaune about it later, her faunus ears were made useful on another occasion that day, as even though it was inaudible to anybody listening in, she had picked up on it.

As Jaune stayed with Weiss all through the evening, he took her hand with both of his and spoke softly to her  
_"Please... please be all right, Snow Angel"_

* * *

**Hey, a more action centred chapter here than the last one, I hope you enjoyed it! If you are wondering about volume two, it will be adapted into this story after the conclusion of this arc.**

**If you have something you want to say, be it positive or negative, leave a review if you please! Else if you want, send me a PM and I will get back to you as soon as possible!**

**In Response-**

**Guest: His body has trouble adjusting to the dust energy so he should always feel the cold within him, the dust infused gloves from Weiss are what keep him from feeling that cold. Without them... well, perhaps you shall see soon.**

**Ilovemetoo: Thank you for taking the time for that advice. Though, rest assured, I don't plan on having Weiss fall for the boy in blue under any circumstance.**

**Also, not questions but for continued support from reviews I'd like to thank: Warlox, dracohalo117, the things that define you.**

**If you want a question answered, please leave it in a review and I'll either answer it here or PM you. Once again, thank you for reading!**


	21. Warmth

It's funny how history repeats itself.

Their roles had changed this time around which he found a little bit odd, and daunting. Looking down at her face he inwardly begged for a scowl, a rebuke, a frown, even a simple "Idiot" would be enough to make him leap with joy, instead he sat terror stricken, staring at a face devoid of all emotion or signs of consciousness.

The gentle rhythm of her breathing was the sole comfort he had, not being able to confirm himself whether or not she was getting warmer, Blake had come in and done it herself, assuring Jaune that the quietly roaring fireplace was doing its work. Not being able to warm her himself was something he cursed, but it couldn't be helped.

So Jaune simply knelt by her, watching the beautiful heiress illuminated by the sun-like glow emanating from the fire, re-adjusting her blankets whenever she made a movement and displaced them. Keeping an unwavering eye on her for any signs of awakening. Ren has informed him that the blunt force trauma could take a while to recover from, but this was agony.

Still, throughout it he felt an odd sense of serenity as he remained in her constant company, simply being with her hours on end without bickering or near-death situations. It was calming.

After a considerable while he was joined by two others, Nora cooed at the adorableness of Jaune's bedside manor, Ren handing him some heated canned soup and bread-sticks they had packed with them. Jaune made sure to save a few just in case Weiss woke, the girl could be surprisingly more irritable on an empty stomach, which was saying something.

The team remained in there, enjoying light conversation and revelling in Nora's tales of wonder which, whether they were true or not, always made sure to amaze Jaune. Something simple like that at the end of such a day was exactly what any group of huntsman and huntresses needed to forget the trials of the day.

As night fell, the others all filed in to the living room to discuss the plan. Jaune and his unresponsive companion received looks of sympathy and concern from all who entered, he did his best at a smile in return. They situated themselves around the room before Pyrhha cleared her throat.

"*Ahem*. As of right now, it would be unwise to call in air pick up from this area, especially now that we have injured" Pyrrha spoke as Jaune looked down at Weiss, confident that she would be insisting she would be fine at this point if she could. "Therefore I think it is best to call for another back up team to land away from the woods and make our way to us so we can fight our way to where the airship has landed. With ten capable fighters, that should compensate for Jaune carrying Weiss for the stretch"

The other members of Pyro Black and Lavender White nodded in unison, landing the airship in the middle of the woods allowed the beowolves to find them and surround them easily last time so landing as far away from the horde as they could would be ideal.

"Well if we're gonna call for another team, I vote for Sun's team" Yang suggested, raising her hand. The image of the mischievous monkey faunus bringing in the cavalry to the rescue was hard for all to picture but Jaune had seen Sun in action and was pretty confident in his ability.

He wasn't exactly sold on the blue haired friend for a reason he hadn't yet discerned but that was unimportant as of right now. The next thing that Yang said dismissed all uncertainty. "It's either them or Cardinal Red"

* * *

Following their decision, the eight-some made their way to the living quarters of the burnt house, setting out sleeping mats that had come with Pyro Black's ship. Both teams decided to sleep in the living room as even though it was cramped, it was the only space with heat. Plus as Nora put it, it was like a big 'slumber party'.

And what it resulted in fairly resembled one, everyone in their nightwear, excluding Ren who seemed to prefer wearing his green and black tailcoat at all times, sitting in a group and chatting like a regular group of teenagers apart from the fact that they were just the opposite.

"So, you gonna come sit with us or just keep giving us the _cold shoulder?_ " Yang called over with a smirk, prompting sighs from all present at the terrible trait of Yang's that they were forced to deal with day in day out.

"Oh, uh.." Jaune was broken from his train of thought as he looked over to where Yang and the others sat, him having placed Weiss comfortably on a proper sleeping mat but leaving her his hoodie to rest her head upon. Jaune looked back to Weiss, him mothering over her wouldn't change anything at the moment.  
"Okay, sure" Jaune picked himself up and walked over, taking a seat besides Yang and Pyrrha.

"As I was saying. Ren and I had just finished fighting the assassin when he suddenly grabbed Ren! So in order to save my damsel in distress, I rushed towards them and barrelled the guy off the cliff side along with myself! Little did I know that an icy lake lay beneath!" Nora recounted, Ren reminding everyone that this was purely a dream she'd been having after reading too many comic books.

"It's not my fault my brain takes inspiration! This comic is the best!" Nora squealed, taking out the small comic book from her matt and displaying it proudly, the block lettered title reading _'The Frosty Ordeals of Snow-Boy!-The Return' _Jaune looked oddly at the cover, it showed a teen boy at a futuristic school seeing a girl with a white ponytail and looking shocked. They resembled... wait.

"Jaune, doesn't that story sound like...?" Blake turned to him slowly, Yang looked perplexed at what the two were on about but then thought back to the time Jaune spilled the proverbial beans on Jaune and Weiss meeting up and connected the dots. She quickly snatched the comic and began to flick through it, ignoring the audible protest from Nora.

The group watched as Yang began to snicker, then chuckle, then buckle over in laughter as she continued to read on. If Jaune could, he'd go paler. Yang quickly placed the book in the middle of the group to display the illustration of a young white haired boy hugging the shorter girl with the tiara, the speech bubble reading _"Let's get out of here, Snow Angel" _

Eyes went wide throughout the group as Ruby clambered to get a look whilst Yang chortled uncontrollably, Blake offered a look of sympathy to Jaune who seemed to be having a mental meltdown. Pyrhha sported a slight red tinge as the image of Jaune shivering in bed, his hair being tousled by Weiss being presented for all to witness.

As another page turned, followed by yet another laugh, even Ren barely veiling an amused smile, Jaune's brain finally spurred into action as he lurched forward to grab the book but was foiled by Yang as she got to it first and held it out of his reach, laughing at his feeble attempts to swipe it from her.  
"Woah, Jaune. Calm down, _'_you need to rest'! 'It's simply juvenile'!" she spoke as Jaune angrily swiped at it once more.

"Yeah, Jaune, 'Drink your cocoa'!" Ruby giggled, more than happy to join in on the teasing. This could not go on.  
He had to take drastic measures.

To Yang's confusion, Jaune suddenly stopped squirming after her, instead he raised one hand to block his eyes and immediately apologized.  
"Uh, what are you doing?" She asked as Jaune didn't remove his hand, hesitating before answering.  
"You're.. kind of exposed" Jaune raised a finger with his other hand and pointed it below her face.

Yang gasped, had she accidentally flashed the room full of practically ALL her close friends?! Had her shirt gotten misplaced as she moved to avoid Jaune taking the book? She looked down and paused. Her shirt was fine, her shorts were perfectly in place. Everything was exactly where it should be.  
That is except...

Yang clenched her empty-feeling hand before turning back to see the vacant space where Jaune had been seconds ago, hearing footsteps running for the door.  
"He's got the book!" Nora yelled as Jaune fled without turning back, leaving behind a room of stunned, amused and embarrassed faces as Yang began to crack up again, her laughs echoing off the walls as Jaune promptly volunteered to be a look out for the night.

* * *

Jaune groaned on the balcony, THAT wouldn't be forgotten so easily. Flicking through the pages once more, it was incredibly weird seeing the events he and Weiss had shared in a book, a comic book even! With him as the protagonist, either that or it was another blond turned blanc that saved a girl by pushing a toothy assassin into a lake and gaining ice powers.

"So, which one of you two is secretly a comic book artist?" A sly voice spoke as Jaune turned to see Yang approach him with a grin, though it wasn't the same teasing one he'd seen earlier, a much friendlier one taking its place, the mischief having disappeared almost entirely.

"Ughh" Jaune groaned, his head in his hands, prompting a light chuckle from Yang, "Neither of us... probably. Though Weiss did once tell me about a guy she had try and find me, she might have told him" he groaned into his sleeves as Yang gave him a pat on the back.

"Guess he liked your story" she joked before leaning on the side of the balcony and changing her tone to a softer one  
"Sorry about that back there, it just seemed like a good laugh, and recently I've been actively looking out for them" she began in a surprisingly tranquil tone as her eyes drifted off "This whole monster fighting squad thing is fun, yeah, but sometimes, when things get rough and people get hurt. I worry about what effect it has on her" Yang looked back at the house and Jaune instantly knew who she was talking about.

"She's only fifteen, and yet she's trapped in the middle of a tragic accident that took innocent lives, surrounded by monsters that want to tear her to shreds. I know Ruby is a little.. more okay with killing Grimm than most young girls I know but she's still a young girl. I won't torture you with details but when we were younger I had a stupid idea that I dragged Ruby into as well.

We were attacked by those things and only made it out because of our uncle. Back then we didn't have our aura unlocked, if she were hit, at that age.." Yang clenched her fists, obviously angry with herself. Only loosening them when a hand took hold of her shoulder and gave it a comforting rub. Yang smiled at him "Thanks, sorry if I droned on a bit" Jaune shook his head.

"No, I think I get it. Not with my sisters though, in fact, next time we meet, I'll be more worried about the horrors I'll be subjected to. But I agree, and I'm just going to come right out and say 'yes, I'm talking about Weiss' instead of trying to be subtle about it. I love seeing her smile or laugh because it means that she isn't ruled by her desire to prove herself as a Schnee or impress her father.

It means she's enjoying other parts of life as well, which is why her smile is honestly one of my favourite sights" Jaune spoke honestly, half-expecting an 'aww' from the girl next to him, he heard nothing of the sort, instead, a chuckle. Then she was off laughing again.

"What's so funny?!" Jaune asked in slight irritation at the cackling blond as she wiped a tear away from her eye. Her mischievous smile returned in full glory.  
"Wow, those lines in the comic book ARE actually the kinds of things you say!" she exclaimed as Jaune groaned, his head back in his hands.  
She would never drop that.

"Seriously though" Yang couldn't keep the glee from her tone but attempted to sound genuine as Jaune moved his head to see her  
"Thanks for the late night heart to heart, you're a pretty _cool _guy, after all!" She chimed with her obligatory play on words before heading back inside as a small smile crept onto Jaune's face.

The deep void he'd felt after Weiss was injured was beginning to patch up as he laughed away the pain, maybe what Yang theorised actually did hold some merit.  
Sometimes all you need is a little laughter.

* * *

The next day, Pyrrha had received confirmation from their monkey tailed escort that they would reach the house in under ten minutes. They hadn't heard the whirring of any airship flying overhead which meant it had landed a safe distance away, all that was left was getting there.

As the rest of the gang geared up, checking their weapons and putting on their battle gear, Jaune has strapped his sword to his side before carefully kneeling besides the still under heiress and lifted her, thanking his stars that her dainty form was as light as it seemed. Jaune fought off the small blush that he began to feel at holding Weiss to his chest before walking down the ice steps he had created the night before.

Only now had he had time to recognise the structure he had created, having been in too much of a rush before to take in his handiwork, feeling honestly rather pleased with his handiwork as he stepped down to where the others waited for him, combat ready.

"Are you sure you're okay to run with her?" Pyrrha asked him one last time, with an affirmative nod from the now re-hoodie wearing teen, she got everyone into formation. Pyrrha and Yang leading the charge with Ruby and Nora to the sides, Ren and Blake guarding the rear and Jaune in the centre carrying Weiss.

Sun's team would slot in as soon as they made contact, filling in wherever there was a gap and keeping the middle protected. The gang waited for several minutes, no one spoke as the tension soon became prominent, the idea of hundreds of Grimm pouncing on them from the shadows in the forefront of everyone's minds. Only interrupted by a call.

"Yo! Jaune, Blake, you guys!" Hearing a familiar voice the group turned to see Sun emerge from the ash and smoke of the woods, followed by three others, one being his blue haired friend, Neptune, then two others Jaune didn't recognise, one massively tall with a long white sleeveless jacket and a smaller framed boy with a red coat draped over one shoulder.

"Somebody call a rescue team?" Sun greeted as Jaune laughed, happy to have his faunus friend get his back during this.  
"Thank you for coming, lead the way!" Pyrrha urged as Sun agreed before turning and running in the direction he came from, followed closely by his team and the formation as they sped through the leafless woods.

Jaune was running, not skating in case the ice trails he left behind were to cause someone to slip up accidentally, feeling tired as he had grown spoilt of his easier and faster mode of transport he had grown to rely on.

For the first few minutes it was smooth sailing, and the idea had actually entered his mind that they would be able to get to the airlift without any encounters, it was around about then that he made eye contact. Light blue meeting devilish red. About a hundred metres apart, he met the eyes of a bewolf.

And that was the initiation. It instantly let out a bellowing howl that echoed through the blackened bark remains. Then there was silence. Then there was thunder. The sound of hundreds of sets of paws pounding on the ashen grounds below, gradually growing louder.

"We better pick up the pace!" Sun called out to his followers, prompting them all to work their legs to exertion as they sped through the forest as fast as they possibly could. It wasn't even a minute later that the snarls became audible, black shapes beginning to poke through the heavy smoke to the sides of their path.

Within seconds of his surrounding protectors raising their weapons in preparation, their first foes emerged, small packs of beowolves running along beside them, angrily growling as they recklessly leapt at the teens, being cut down immediately by either Ruby's scythe or being pierced by Pyrrha's spear.

The small packs were dealt with relatively little difficulty as the barricade of incredibly talented huntsman and huntresses was impenetrable by the ravenous creatures. Jaune constantly looked down to make sure he still had a strong grasp of Weiss as he ran in the middle.

Even as a monster made it past Ruby, a light blue blast knocked it from the air as one of their escort stepped in to his aid, his goggles now masking his eyes  
"You know, if you wanna swap carrier for a minute, that'd be fine with me, you know, just so you know" Neptune offered with a smile  
"Nope" Jaune shot down between breaths, not wanting to waste energy on coming up with a convincing reason  
"You sure?" he asked, firing a few more rounds into oncoming beowolves, his weapon allowing him a much further range as his redhaired friend fought nearer foes  
"Yep" Jaune confirmed.

It was when the bulk started coming that the problems started.

As more and more started to approach from the sides, the group began to lose formation slightly to deal with the horde attacking from every conceivable angle.  
The surrounding fighters were fully capable of dealing with whatever came too close, but it was turning into a matter of how long they could continue to do so.  
Ruby was showing signs of tiredness and thus didn't notice when one beowolf found her blind spot.

"Watch out!" Jaune briefly took one of his hands off of his human cargo and extended it towards the monster, releasing a beam of freezing air from his palm that enveloped the flying predator mid-leap before it fell to the ground and shattered.

"Thanks!" she called out in gratitude as Sun called out to them saying it wasn't far now. That elated Jaune, but there was still the minor issue of the hundred or so beowolves surrounding them at that point in time. As last ditch efforts, semblances came into play.

Doubles of Blake and Sun now charged the beowolves, one's leading the beowolves away, the other doubles running into the oncoming forces and exploding upon impact. Yang began to deal out double the pain she was recieving as her hair shined a bright yellow and her eyes an even more threatening shade of red than the monsters themselves. A small Ruby sized black blur was crashing into the packs to their right, sending dozens flying into scalded oak and scorched foliage.

Everything was working perfectly as the mystical powers aided immensely in thinning out their numbers. Sun pointed and indicated a clearing that led to their escape vehicle, the group began to burn through their ammo as barrage upon barrage of gunfire and explosive projectiles courtesy of Nora left craters where monsters once were.

They thought they were in the clear as the heads of the group headed out into the clearing, the group formation slackening slightly as they made the final few paces. Everyone so caught up in getting to the airship that no one noticed the dark shape falling unto Jaune. It was only at the last moment that he sensed it coming from above and instantly he turned so his body received the full impact of the strike.

Jaune was sent tumbling into the clearing, he made sure to bring Weiss into a tight embrace and cushion her with his body. He didn't have time to reach for his sword, nor did the others have time to see what was happening as Jaune looked back to see the towering beowolf, looking like the large one that Weiss had protected him from just yesterday.

In a second, the beast swiped down and Jaune met its hands with his own, a crack sounding through the clearing as their hands locked together. The monstrous being let out a growl as it tightened its grip on Jaune's hands, its claws digging into the back of his hand and tearing through the lavender material of his gloves like wallpaper.

Jaune's eyes widened as he felt it coming back to him. The feeling that caused him to be bedridden for days in that bed and breakfast, the worst torture he had endured. In a rush to get this beast off of him, Jaune activated his power, and the beast immediately cried out as its hands begun to freeze over, then spreading to its entire body, encasing it entirely before Jaune reeled back and unsheathed his sword, smashing the frozen beast to pieces

The damage, however, was done. The torn purple fabric fell to the ground in shreds, the gloves that were the very first gift he ever received from Weiss.

Yang let out a whistle at Jaune's impressive defeat of the big beast, the others just then catching on to what had happened and ran over to congratulate Jaune. As they approached, they didn't realise anything was wrong.

Jaune dropped to his hands and knees and begun shaking, the group assumed the adrenaline of such a feat would naturally incur that reaction, until he fell to the ground and started convulsing uncontrollably.

The last sounds Jaune could register were screams of his name from both males and females before he could only hear the chattering of his own teeth and the sharp breaths he took, in, out, in, out every second. It had begun again.

The gang rushed to the airlift, Nora being the volunteer to carry Jaune with Pyrrha lifting Weiss before they ran, fearing the worst.

* * *

When Jaune awoke, the first thing he did was shiver, he pulled what felt like a blanket over him immediately but it didn't help, it never helped. He tossed and turned violently, feeling nothing but ice cold blood running through his every vein.

He had forgotten just how bad the cold felt, now he was receiving a cruel, torturous reminder. He gasped heavily as he shiverred and shuddered, rocking the entire bed he was in. He barely registered it at his own dorm room bed. His mind being taken over by the cold.

This was it, all again. He was going to suffer through this hell again.

That's when it happened.

Warmth. Was it warmth?  
He had partially forgotten what it felt like, before with the gloves he still never felt it, his memories of it were only up until he was fifteen, so he could be wrong, but his heart disagreed, this was without a doubt warmth, but how in the world of Remnant..?

"Shh, it's okay, it's all right now" spoke a soothing voice. Jaune opened his eyes wide and there before him was a sight of a miracle.  
Weiss, now awake and wearing her light blue, elegant night gown, was laying beside him.

She had deep care and comfort in her eyes as she reached her arms around Jaune and pulled him in closer.

His mind didn't register the fact that he was sharing a bed with Weiss, his body was overwhelmed by the sensation, the warmth of her body, how amazing it felt to hold her close to him, burying his head in her neck, wrapping his arms around her.

He had stopped shivering and shuddering, he slowly took Weiss in closer as she spoke softly to him  
"It's okay, just go to sleep. Just sleep, it's all going to be okay. I promise"

Jaune had to wonder if this was a dream. No. This feeling was more amazing than anything he had ever experienced.  
This was real, every second of it.

The pair held each other for that night, basking in warmth as they comforted one another, sharing the best feeling either had experienced before, until they quietly nodded off to sleep in each other's arms.

That's when he realised he loved her.


	22. Chinook Wind

**Hey sorry if it has been a longer wait that you might have liked, it was due to exams that are as of the other day officially FINISHED so I can work on this more, meaning faster updates if you'd like. And in case you were wondering, and maybe hoping (?) There WILL be a Christmas chapter! Fluff shall ensue, my friends.**

**Anyway, really hope you enjoy this one! Please Review, Favourite or Follow if you'd like! Thank you so much for reading, I truly appreciate you all! :)**

* * *

Fluttering his eyes open, Jaune cringed at the sudden light coming in through the window and attempted to raise his arms to cover his eyes, however for some reason his right arm wasn't budging, confused by this and still recently awoken Jaune turned to his side and came to a complete stand-still as his nose was suddenly touching the girl's next to him.

Normally in this kind of situation, Jaune would be on an immediate trip off his bed and onto the hard floor as he jumped in fright, but knowing who exactly was resting next to him, the girl that he had recently discovered he loved. He didn't mind in the slightest.

They still held each other in a close embrace, Weiss's head inches away, her loose white hair flowing onto the mattress, her body pressed up against his and one of her legs resting between his, she still wore her light blue nightgown that she wore every night but the intimacy of the moment was not at all lost on him, not that he particularly had a problem with it.

He loved her, after all. It was on odd feeling, but one that never failed to bring a wide smile to his face. He had probably felt that way for a rather long time but last night, when he was at his weakest and Weiss was prepared to do something many would view as shameful in order to help him through it, that he saw how far his fondness for her extended.

He decided to remain like that for a few minutes longer, snuggling against her and closing his eyes, enjoying the sound of her gentle breathing, not wanting the moment to end any time soon. Feeling the more happiness now than ever before.

In his joy he failed to realize where exactly he was, not connecting the dots at all before he heard a cough. Sitting up immediately, Jaune turned towards a smiling Nora who giggled at the foot of the bed, having been remarkably silent for the last few minutes as Jaune indulged in his most personal feelings, happily swinging her legs to and fro.

_"Nora?! What are you doing here?!" _Jaune whispered in shock, careful not to wake the frightfully bad-in-the-mornings heiress beside him as Nora giggled  
"Making sure you're okay, and to take a photo, say fromage, Jaune!" She spoke mischievously as she pulled out her tablet as Jaune was too late to stop and warn her.  
"_W-Wait!"_ he uttered before there was a flash as the image of Jaune swiping at the camera with his free arm whilst his other lay trapped beneath the heiress was captured.

Jaune saw the flash and instant fright took over his features as he slowly turned to see the heiress begin to stir, her eyes slowly opening and surveying her surroundings before coming to an abrupt halt, staying still on the wide eyed boy laying beside her. "Morning Snow An-"

His feeble attempt at a joky greeting was interrupted by a sudden impact that caused Jaune to topple to the floor ungracefully as Weiss gasped with her arms outstretched, looking completely bewildered for a few moments before recalling the events that had lead to her unusual sleeping residence that night. Feeling slightly guilty she leaned over the bedside.

The teen sat on his hands and knees on the floor, seemingly dazed, Weiss sighed, feeling a rise in temperature in her cheeks that she couldn't quite keep below the surface as she remembered not thinking logically, just wanting to help the boy in some way. Still, for students of their age she supposed it would lead to false implications.

Weiss did not have time to mull over the consequences once Nora blabbered about the ordeal to the entire student body as she noticed something off. She felt a sudden chill run down her spine, noticing Nora having a similar reaction as they both began to rub their arms. Weiss looked over to Jaune and she gasped at what she saw, Jaune sat immobilised as he shook fervently.

"Jaune!" Weiss leaned towards the boy in an instant and then pressed her hand against his shoulder, and all of a sudden she felt a small welcoming warmth emanate from the boy, his shivering lessened before stopping all-together and Jaune began to breathe heavily, having concealed his short breaths earlier. Weiss looked at her hand oddly, was it possible that-?

Weiss sent a look to Nora that told her Jaune and her needed a moment and without a vocal exchange Nora nodded, already dressed she headed for the door  
"I'll go check on Ren and his early morning training, he might tire himself out again!" Nora called before making her swift and tactful exit.

"Jaune..." she began softly, speaking only to him as he listened in, no longer hindered by the cold, "You are going to feel cold when I go get changed but I promise I will be ready as soon as I can. I know it will be hard but you have to dress yourself for class as quickly as you can then come back out to me and we'll head there together, all right?" Weiss finished, Jaune being initially confused by her words.

"This should help for a little while.." The heiress simply stated before suddenly wrapping her arms around Jaune and pressing against him in a close, comforting hug from the back, her hands linking around his chest as she hugged him tightly, making Jaune practically glow red as Weiss tightened the embrace for a few seconds with her eyes closed before she retracted from him.

Without another word Weiss grabbed her uniform and sped into the bathroom before slamming the door shut and Jaune began to feel it returning. That horrible feeling. However now there was a lingering warmth within him courtesy of the hug and he took full advantage of this. Quickly slipping into his uniform, almost taking a button or two off in the process, making himself somewhat presentable for the school environment.

True to her word, Weiss was remarkably fast, usually taking as long as was 'entirely necessary' in order to prepare herself for the day. She met him at the door within a matter of minutes, her hair pristinely tied up into her usual ponytail and her flattering uniform all neatly ironed crease free and all evidence of bed rest had seemingly disappeared from her.

"Now, Jaune.." Weiss took a step towards him and held out her hand low towards his, Jaune was taken aback at the notion but the creeping sensation of cold coming up on him and spurred him to take her offer. Jaune took her hand and just like that, the cold was gone. They interlocked fingers as Jaune raised his head to Weiss' face but she didn't seem able to look at him.

"Well, let's not waste any more time then" Weiss elegantly cleared her throat before walking forward leading Jaune out of the room and into the halls of Beacon Academy.

* * *

To say the pair received odd looks would be more than an understatement, passing second looks were constant as the esteemed heiress walked hand in hand with that guy that once played G Ball that one time.

Along their way there was one look of interest from none other than the headmaster himself as he caught notice of the two of them whilst out for his morning coffee walk. He offered Jaune an approving smile as he held out his mug towards the passing pair, the boy not being able to catch the heiress's eye as they walked on.

A high point was definitely witnessing Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark's jaws hit the ground as they glared enviously at the hooded teen, though they promptly turned away when they remembered the icy terror the boy had displayed in Forever Fall against their shell shocked leader. Jaune was just glad they now knew to keep their distance.

When they reached the classroom, team Pyro Black had already arrived and had begun to sit themselves down in the first row when they were met with the sight of an heiress with her eyes glued forwards hands linked with their recently collapsed friend. Blake seemed to hide a small smile as Pyrrha's eyes went wide. Yang simply smirked at the duo as Ruby looked on confused.

"Feeling better then, Jaune?" Yang asked slyly as she raised an eyebrow at the entering two with a knowing expression as Jaune let out a soft chuckle.  
"Y-Yeah, you could say that" he smiled back, feeling the tension of all eyes following the two as Weiss guided them to the back row, not wanting to be the sight to see for people behind them during lesson.

Nora and Ren soon entered, taking a seat next to their entwined team mates without any comment or remark, no matter how much it tempted Nora to do so. When Professor Oobleck finally arrived the lesson began as normal. The coffee crazed lunatic teacher began to rapidly scrawl upon the blackboard and asking questions to unsuspecting lost students. All was as usual, well apart from one thing.

Luckily, with Weiss being left handed and Jaune being the opposite, they could still write as normal, though that did not make things that much less awkward, Weiss seemed to want to lose herself in her studies as she wrote with her free dominant hand, still keeping Jaune from hyperventilating by holding his hand.

Truth be told, neither of them were curious about the science behind it. From what they knew Jaune's altered body always had trouble dealing with the change he underwent, so the dust infused gloves were to keep him from experiencing the cold, working almost like a painkiller, the cold still existing but him not being aware of it.

What was this, then? Weiss had many glyphs and with them many amazing powers and abilities but he wasn't sure a radiator function was among them, probably.  
The thoughts inside his head were not at all revolving around the science of the subject but instead how exactly to proceed, as his continuous luck would have it his genetic make up made it so he was less prone to sweating and Weiss appeared to have a mystical power of not sweating that came with being a refined heiress.

Unconsciously, at some point during the lesson, Jaune had begun to stroke the girl's gentle hand with his thumb, him not being aware of it whilst Weiss was on the very other end of the spectrum, feeling all of it and struggling to keep her focus on her studies, half tempted to pull her hand away, though if she was honest that was more like she was a tenth tempted, the rest of her finding it oddly... endurable.

* * *

Following the mix of uncertain emotion and intellectual struggle that was Oobleck's morning classes, Weiss and Jaune were invited by a still coy Miss Xiao Long to join them for a trip to the library, Weiss was less sold on the idea but seeing as going off on their own would not help the rumours in the slightest the pair joined them, Nora and Ren tagging along with them with the boy in hopes of revising in relative tranquillity.

"Are you SERIOUS?!"

Nope.

"Having Ruby's armoury next to the exterior fort would _completely _disrupt the linear pattern! Do you know anything about castle based decoration?" Weiss exclaimed, moving the recently acquired piece to the other side of their part of the board. In their situation, the two had decided to participate as one player, but that lead to a spell of creative differences as they began to dominate Vale as 'Atlas'.

"Okay, okay! But what about Yang's pond? I think it would look really good by the airbase!" Jaune insisted, picking up the piece with the lush greenery and plastic water.  
"The airbase?!" Weiss scoffed, "Why in the wide world of Remnant would we put a pond there! Goldfish are NOT the key to victory here, Jaune!" she argued.  
"I just want it to look nice for the soldiers, think about our soldiers, Weiss!" Jaune pleaded, feeling sympathy for the small figurines that were subject to Weiss's gruelling rule.

"Don't bring the soldiers into this! I want what's best for them, too! But we have to make it so they go to a good military school so they're ready for the trials of life, and we don't have that card yet! Also, I don't see you pitching in to pay for their expenses!" Weiss exclaimed as Jaune gasped dramatically, raising his hand to his mouth in shock.

"Why must you tear this kingdom apart, I just want us to be happy..." Jaune sighed as he placed his head in his free arm, Weiss calmed herself down before offering Jaune a supportive squeeze with her hand, Jaune raised his gaze to meet hers as she relented, deciding to cut the boy a break.

"You can pick the colour of the castle curtains..." she spoke softly as Jaune's eyes lit up, regaining his energy as he sat up in disbelief and glee, taking both of her hands  
"Do you really mean that?" he asked hopefully as she nodded. He joyfully picked out the castle pieces with the lavender drapes and placed it on their side of the board as they both smiled, the argument settled.

The rest of the library blinked in union, the pair having received the attention of all stupefied readers in the room, including Ren who was attempting to block his ears to no avail, and the other players of the game, Yang, Ruby and Blake, who were all taken aback by just how immersed the pair had gotten in the board game, drawing many parallels of their bickering to certain pairs of people.

"Sooo... are you gonna roll the dice or...?" spoke a hesitant Ruby as her mind barely registered what had just occurred in front of her. Jaune and Weiss jumped slightly as they had gotten rather lost in the complexities of royal rule, Jaune offering a quiet apology before they continued with what was intended to be a simple family game.

"Well we've been here for a considerable amount of time so I will volunteer myself to be the one who asks" Yang began, clearing her throat before pointing a finger at Weiss and Jaune who had moved two chairs directly next to each other and proceeded to both keep one hand underneath the table whilst ruling their kingdom with a hand each. "What's the deal?"

Jaune and Weiss were aware of Pyro Black's scrutinizing stare as Pyrrha too looked over from where she had been sitting with Ren and Nora who of course already got the gist of the situation. They all leaned in unanimously as Jaune embarked on the mental struggle to conjure up an explanation barring ones concerning super glue and sudden uncontrollable romance.

"Well, okay. You know my, well, condition?" Jaune asked in a low tone as their collective group of friends nodded understandingly, the memories of Jaune collapsing into a shivering heap near the end of the last mission still ripe in their memory, they had been curious about why the snow haired boy seemed just fine now.  
"The gloves were what kept me from, well, what you saw. And I needed a replacement and as it turns out... ta-da!" Jaune presented his left hand together with Weiss' right as she turned her gaze away from the group.

"So... Weiss keeps you warm..?" Yang asked, not quite sure how exactly that worked, Blake sharing the sentiment as she raised an eyebrow towards the two,  
"And you're intricate and informative explanatory statement would be...?" The bow haired girl prompted, Jaune and Weiss simply shook their heads  
"None yet, but it is what it is, I suppose, you guys are cool with it, right?" Jaune asked, earning sceptical looks from the group of girls but they knew Jaune was not a liar and in turn confirmed that if it was for his health and safety, they were perfectly okay with it.

"Sup losers?" And just to throw away the tension that had been built, Sun greeted the gang with a peace sign, standing next to the blue haired boy they had encountered here before not long ago preceding a rather dramatic G Ball match, who waved at the girls as something snagged in Jaune's emotions.

"Yo Yang, Ruby, Blake, Mr and Mrs Claus" Sun indicated towards the Atlas pair sitting together who grimaced at their given title, the heiress not quite finding the humour in the sentiment, fixing the monkey tailed boy with a small glare as the boy with the periwinkle undercut spoke up, addressing the group with confusion in his voice  
"Board games? We wondered what the yelling was from down the hall... Aren't libraries for reading?" Neptune questioned as Jaune and Weiss looked down in slight embarrassment whilst Ren let out an exasperated "Thank you!".

"Anyway, I'm Neptune. Team SSSN's resident intellectual" the teen introduced himself, Sun scoffing at his proclamation that wasn't as hard to believe as he may think to the Beacon Gang than it was to Sun. Deciding to be courteous, Weiss addressed the newcomer politely.

"So, Neptune, where are you from?" She posed curiously as Neptune began to walk over to respond, Jaune's eyes slowly narrowing as the blue haired boy passed by.  
"Haven, and I don't believe I caught your name, Snow Angel" he spoke in a sly tone as he stood beside Jaune's chair.

All eyes apart from Neptune's instantly travelled straight to Jaune at the moment Neptune uttered those words, Jaune's eyes had shot wide open and his irises almost appeared to shrink as he heard those two words used by someone other than him towards the heiress beside him. The room temperature began to drop slightly as librarians began to rub their uniform sleeves.

Neptune felt something odd drop on his head and looked up to see something white and dainty falling down upon him, was it... no... it couldn't be snowing indoors, surely! He must have been imagining the snowflakes that fell before him. The hooded teen that had sat next to Weiss temporarily left her grip and stood up beside the bewildered goggle adorning teen.

_"Hey Neptune! Long time no see! You're not giving your pal Jaune the cold shoulder, right?!" _Jaune spoke with a less than genuinely friendly tone as he placed his hand on the boy's red jacket as Neptune began to feel an odd sense of foreboding and the feeling he'd just made a terrible mistake.

"Uh, we saw each other yester-" Neptune began in slight fear as visible ice began to grow over his shoulder, Neptune beginning to fear for his safety underneath the snow cloud and rather literal cold shoulder when Weiss decided to intervene in the situation. Standing up from the chair, Weiss took back Jaune's hand calmingly.  
"Calm down, you're making it snow in a library" Weiss urged him as Jaune shook himself out of it. "My name is Weiss"

The cloud dissipated and Jaune sat down and the spectators around the tables all let out a sigh of relief, Neptune caught sight of Jaune and Weiss' hands and his mouth twisted into an 'o' as he stepped back, now getting the whole picture. Truth being told he probably should have caught on with the events in the Ash Woods.

"Ahh, gotcha. Good to see you on your feet, man" Neptune recovered quickly giving Jaune a quick pat on the shoulder before stepping back towards Sun who had been trying to comprehend the board game in from him, seeing that Atlas had an odd array of castles organized in different orders and light purple curtains that was taking over the board, he leant in to ask Blake just how in the world the décor-oriented empire had been conquering Vale.

"Don't ask me, you know why don't you take over for me.." Blake spoke, laying down her cards before getting up from the table and heading for the library exit.  
The group looked on in concern as Blake had been growing rather reclusive as of late, and though that was relatively normal for her, it was getting worrying now.  
Weiss looked contemplative for a while before her eyes lit up and an idea grew in her head.

* * *

"Ugh I can't believe you stole everything you power hungry dictators!" Yang growled as the group of seven returned to their dorms, Sun and Neptune having departed following Sun's utter failure at trying to comprehend how to use a 'trap card' or a 'silver eyed three headed nevermore. Nora and Ren headed immediately into the Lavender White dorm room to bake some before bed cookies that Nora had made a tradition to Ren's chagrin.

Weiss and Jaune hung back as Team Pyro Black entered into where Blake had escaped to, Pyrrha exchanging a last word about how to approach Blake, Weiss' plan including a confrontation from Blake's team mates. Not being part of the team, Weiss was not going to be part of that but promised to help later and Blake's supposed 'brother' had to be on the other side of the door.

Once the door to the Pyro Black's team room was shut, Weiss and Jaune placed their ears to the door, their hands still connected but neither taking too much notice as they listened in to the conversation. From what they heard Blake had been troubled following what happened with Roman, coinciding with what Blake had told Jaune on the day of G Ball.

Blake had attempted to leave the room at one point but that was expected and in came Jaune's part of the little intervention, once Blake had begun to head for the door Jaune took his hand from Weiss after ensuring her he'd be fine for a few seconds before placing his hand on the doorknob and seconds later it was coated with ice, the pair hearing the sounds of Blake trying to force the door handle from the other side to no avail.

Confident that Pyrrha, Ruby and Yang could get through to her, Jaune happily taking Weiss's hand before both retreating into their dorm room to get any scraps of baking they could from Nora's wrath upon the goods. Neither of them considering just how Pyro Black was meant to de frost their way out in the morning.

* * *

"Like last time, okay? I'll be quick" Weiss told him as Jaune nodded. Just as before, except now from the front, Weiss closed their distance and wrapped her arms around the hooded boy, pulling him in tight as Jaune did the same, feeling the warmth enter through him, a sensation almost alien to him but so enchanting in its mysterious allure.

After a few seconds, Weiss pulled away and quickly stepped into the bathroom as Jaune quickly changed underneath the blankets, cautious not to scar Nora by presenting her with all that he was. Quickly changing into some plain, dark purple pyjama bottoms, having to forsake the blue onesie as it took too long to put on, to the relief of a certain heiress.

The girl in question exited the bathroom even quicker than before, her hair now flowing down her back as she adorned her one piece nightgown that fitted her perfectly, her appearance somewhat hypnotic as she traipsed over to Jaune taking him by both hands, making sure he felt cold for as little time as possible. Jaune had to admit he was touched by how much she cared. Making the fluttering in his stomach grow stronger by the minute, knowing exactly what it was.

"Just making sure, don't be a dunce and hide what you feel, okay? I won't forgive any dishonesty when it comes to your suffering, got it?" She gave Jaune a challenging look, he returned with an appreciative smile, thankful for her being there with him, now possibly more than ever before.

Hearing the scrape of wood against the floor, the pair turned to see Nora and Ren bent over, pushing two beds together, Nora playing a considerably larger part in the effort, Nora let out a proud grin as Ren walked over and placed a hand on the confused Jaune's shoulder.  
"I assume maybe you would both like your own beds tonight. Unless not, Nora can put them back if you'd like-"  
"No, no, that will be fine, thank you" Weiss shook her hands in front of Ren as Jaune quickly shook his head, evoking a chuckle from the black haired teen as he walked over to his own bed.

"Well, I suppose we should get some sleep also. Hurry" Weiss spoke as she left him, walking around the other side of the two conjoined beds and climbed in as Jaune spoke up  
"Weiss-" The Heiress turned round to face him with a 'Hm?' as he pondered how best to say it, how to convey how much he appreciated what she had been doing for him and how blessed he felt to have her help him through this process and just to be close to her in general, how to thank her for everything.

"...Thank you"

Weiss simply smiled warmly at him, which though unusual of her, was delightful to witness as she nodded at him, letting him know she was perfectly happy to be there for him at al times.

"Come on, Frosty" she called him as surprise came over his expression, 'dunce' being the only nickname he had previously been granted. He let out a hearty laugh before clambering over to his moved bed.

* * *

As morning glow filled the room once again, all was peaceful, even if Ren was not awake to appreciate it he slept in the position he had laid down in, peaceful, in contrast to the tossing and turning teen faced child who mumbled extracts of the legendary visions that were her vivid dreams that would soon be relayed in full detail to her friends at lunchtime.

Across the room, the sun slowly illuminated two beds that had been pressed into one, upon them a boy and girl of close hearts lay, both lax below the bedsheets, both having moved much closer than when they had first fallen asleep, but the only contact between them being their hands, held even in deep slumber, and connecting them through night until morning, prompting smiles of dream like comfort to appear on both as they lay dormant, enjoying each other's company even in deep sleep.  
Harmony.

It was a shame they'd be fighting a giant robot within a few days.


	23. A Lavender-White Christmas

**Hellooo, Xmas chapter as promised, late, but to make up for it, its a long 'un! Almost 7,000 words folks! Anyway a little explanation may be necessary. This takes place between the last chapter and the next, as usual. So that last line about fighting giant robots within a day may not ring as true now. But I figured it would be better to keep the story chronological and not have this chapter take place AFTER the chapter I will release next which _will_ involve fighting robots.**

**Any-hoo, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It was December 20th and what was usually a grandiose school campus, occasionally a fierce battlegrounds, was today a wonderland. The various training grounds and facilities were now rendered completely crystal white from the heavy snowfall. The sudden change in climate meant that air travel was an impossibility, and thus so was going off for any missions, however if that had bothered any of the students at Beacon Academy, it was not showing.

Hordes of students frolicked outside in their winter coats, initiating snowball fights, or more aptly, snowball wars, some of the more artful students began to craft an array of varying statues and visages, some even utilizing their weapons and semblances in the process.

A prime example of the overall cheer would be the red and black blur that crafted dozens of snowballs to supply to her older sister who smiled as she pummelled unsuspecting adversaries with all her might. The calmer redhead of their team was apparently getting a little too into the battle side and had brought out her shield to defend against the frozen bombardment.

Sat watching with no intent of the snow was the bookish as ever feline who occasionally lifted her gaze from her not at all festive novel to look upon her team's antics with mild amusement. This pleasant onlooker's experience being shattered at the sensation of a sudden rush of cold to her face as she looked up to see her buxom team mate grinning devilishly before the war gained another soldier.

Away from all the carnage, another team enjoyed their snowy saturday, taking place at the lake that ran along the path to lessons, now frozen solid and home to many more students deciding to try their luck with ice skating, with generally fine results. That is barring one particular person... can you guess?

"This ice is obviously just not suited to skaters of my calibre" Weiss spoke whilst attempting to cross her arms conclusively, failing miserably as she could not keep her balance at all. Wearing her early pre-Christmas Christmas present skates, she also had on thick black tights, a pure white waistcoat, a designer set of black earmuffs, scarf and gloves in order to counter the cold.

Her teacher for the day let out a sigh with his hands on his hips, wearing his usual black and lavender hoodie and jeans, the only notable new item being his replacement dust infused gloves that Weiss had ordered for him, unlike his old lavender ones, these were pure black and has the Schnee snowflake insignia, having received them from her company.

"Come on, you can do it! It's easy once you've gotten the hang of it!" Jaune encouraged as he skated over to her, of course he wasn't wearing standard ice skates, rather depending on ice he cast beneath the soles of his shoes to surpass friction and glide around the heiress with relative ease who fixed him with a narrow glare.

"You're secretly enjoying rubbing my face in it, well I will just have to show you how it is meant to be done through proper form and-Whuhuh!" Weiss had begun to skate off pridefully but had lost her balance at the last moment and lost her footing in an instant, Jaune's eyes widened as his instincts kicked in.

"Whoah! You okay, Weiss?" The heiress now found herself being held with Jaune's arms linked around her back as she frowned with a tinge of red appearing upon her face at the position Jaune currently held her in, not that she found it completely unacceptable of course.

"You _are _enjoying this" she accused not being able to fight the small shyness that crept into her words as Jaune chuckled before lifting her back to her feet and let go, allowing her to regain her footing somewhat as she still struggled with standing even when stationary, something Jaune secretly found adorable.  
"Maybe a little..." he admitted honestly as Weiss sighed before a voice sounded from behind them.

"Yo, Snow Angel, sweet" Neptune stated before being trapped instantly in another death glare from Jaune as clouds instantly began to appear above the blue boy's head, the familiar fear returning in a second as his brain frantically sprang into action  
"No- No, no, no I meant that one!" Neptune explained nervously pointing at Nora who was laying down in the snow crafting angelic figures in the snowbank as Ren nodded, confirming the blue haired boy's claim as Jaune's temporary tick disappeared instantly and he greeted Neptune casually.

"Oh,uh, yeah, hey Jaune. I was just wondering if you guys were up for joining the ever growing snowball war that's taking over campus!" Neptune gestured towards the encroaching battlefield around the corner, Nora instantly jumped up with vigour and nodded with fire in her eyes. Ren agreed, he supposed it could help him unwind, as contradictory as that may seem. Weiss was having none of it.

"Thanks, but no thanks. Jaune and I plan to spend this morning in relative peace for once before this afternoon gift giving and I do not intend to be interrupted by-"  
Halted mid sentence, Weiss felt cold mush covering the right side of her face as the realization sank in a few seconds after everyone around her who were currently gaping in surprise as the snowball hit her square in the cheek.

Momentarily considering pulling out her rapier and reducing the thrower to ashes, she turned to see Dove Bronzewing running back to his jeering team mates, bar Cardin, stood upon the snowed over training grounds where the snowball war had spread. Weiss took a deep breath, deciding that making chase would be pointless, somewhat influenced by the fact her mobility was compromised.

"Whatever, we don't have to stoop to the levels of such riff raff, right Jaune?" Weiss turned round but found no one beside her, she turned to her team and Neptune for an explanation but they seemed equally as confused, having not noticed Jaune slip off from the group. Just where in the world-?

Across the school grounds, two sides of rowdy teenage boys, one side including three quarters of Cardinal Red stood waging war upon one another, laughing raucously and bellowing war cries as barrages of snow flew from one side to the other with a clear split down the middle of the training grounds.

To the confusion of both sides, a hooded figure appeared walking down into the centre of the conflict, walking straight into the middle whilst fire from both armies suddenly came to a halt with both sides wondering which team he was on. The teen in the black hoodie stopped in the dead centre and offered glances towards both teams for a few seconds.

"Screw it, lob 'em anyway!" One student yelled before tossing a considerably large snowball he had gathered towards the figure in hopes of a whitewash. The hooded teen didn't make any effort to avoid the attack, seemingly unaware. However just at the last remaining second, he raised his arm with his eyes averted and the snowball instantly came to a standstill mid air.

If the levitating snowball was something to gawk at, the ball suddenly breaking into five and being sent hurling at the team that had attacked him first, taking out a group of wide eyed 'soldiers' instantly. The hooded teen smirked before pulling down his hood and revealing his icy white hair and competitive blue glare.  
"Sorry boys, this is my element, you're out of your league" he stated confidently as his three former bullies froze in fear.

"Get 'im!" yelled one apparent 'general' from one side as a hail of snowballs came raining down upon the solitary figure who stood his ground, raising both arms, prepared to take no prisoners.

* * *

_"H-He's a freaking monster..." _spoke a heavily shivering that lay amongst dozens of similarly posed huntsman, all collapsed and covered with snow, breathing heavily. Only the hooded teen remained standing as the victor. To be honest Jaune thought he may have gone a bit far but he supposed 'All's fair in war' as he began to walk away from the piles of downed adversaries.

As the victor deserted the scene, he was unaware of the keen pair of eyes following him the entire time. The figure got up from where it had been leaning against a snow touched tree and began to pursue. Taking her first approach.

* * *

"Done showing off?" Asked Weiss, leaning against the doorway following Jaune's knock. Christmas music could be heard from behind her as Jaune offered a brief apology before she allowed him to enter, passing by her as she added quietly "It was fun to watch at least, thank you" Jaune smiled back at her before turning round and his vision turned to black.

"Mrph-huh!" Jaune struggled blindly as something mysterious and cotton was forced over his head, blocking his eyes before it passed down to his neck allowing him to breathe again. Without missing a beat Nora forced his arms through the sleeves and once satisfied, stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"There! Festive jumper!" Nora claimed proudly as Jaune looked down at his now stuffy torso as he now adorned a lavender coloured piece of knitwear with the large white letters 'L' and 'W' knitted on to the front. She also appeared to have knitted Jaune's name on the hem, whilst instantly comforted, what was more was how thoughtful Nora could be sometimes.

"You really are the source of our team pride, aren't you? Thanks, Nora" Jaune beamed at her which she returned tenfold, letting out a cheer as she jumped into the air.  
"YES! Appreciation! I had to wait until Mr Humbug over there was asleep to get his on, and I tried with Weiss but she... threatened things" Nora shuddered as Jaune turned to see Weiss crack an accomplished grin. She would sooner forsake her career as a huntress than be seen wearing that.

_'Knock Knock'_

Before Jaune could ask just what in the world she had said, he was beckoned to the door and swung it open to reveal four familiar girls all standing out of breath all carrying various barely hidden presents in her hands, Weiss eyed their snow covered attire with an inspecting glare and addressed the girls sternly.  
"Shoes off" she stated as they gave wry smiles before complying.

"Oh, I like your jumpers, they are very.. spirited!" Pyrrha offered as Nora grinned, Yang stifling a small laugh at the team winter wear as Jaune sent her a warning look. Blake offered him a sympathetic smile as Jaune tried to proudly present his gift from Nora.

"Well, now that we are all heeree~" Nora sang before pulling out her pink big-ribboned gift that she had been unsuccessfully attempting to hide underneath her bed for the past week, grinning at all within the room as she gleefully exclaimed "Secret Santa time!"

* * *

What followed was a very interesting exchange, Yang punching the air having received the radical new motorcycle helmet she had been eyeing ever since their last mission which Pyrhha had caught word of, Ruby squealing and almost running back to her dorm to play her newly acquired copy of 'RemnantBound' from the heiress beside Jaune who had simply picked out the game with the most colourful cover.

Nora keenly watched Ren unpack a single SMG to replace his recently faulty one, this one however had increased fire rate... and was bright pink. He still thanked her honestly, Nora having gotten Ren for Secret Santa through not so honest means, she was happy her effort paid off, that effort being her finding out whoever had him and paying them to switch.

Blake went pale when she picked up a small book shaped present with the label 'DO NOT OPEN UNTIL ALONE-SS'. Jaune's casual whistling caused an instant death glare to be sent his way as he shifted uncomfortably where he sat. Blake discreetly hid her present for later as the group moved on with raised eyebrows all round.

Pyrhha's grin instantly brightened the room as she pulled out an encyclopaedia on the greatest battles ever waged within the kingdoms of Remnant, the sheer size of the literature caused stupefied expressions all round except for Blake who smiled happily at her receiver's elation at her more educational present.

The trend of book presents continued as Jaune unwrapped his gift. Instantly regretting his carelessness as across the floor they had all sat down on now sat the first three volumes of '_The Frosty Ordeals of Snow-Boy!' _lay for all to see. Yang instantly keeled over laughing, revealing herself as the perpetrator as Jaune rapidly collected the books and held them to his chest, not making the mistake of allowing Ruby or anybody else anywhere near them.

As luck would have it, Ren had picked his not so coincidental Secret Santa for his as well, gifting Nora with a large plush Boarbatusk that would be nightmare fuel for anyone else but Ren knew of her odd affection with the killer creatures, his memory earning him a bone grinding embrace with the toy smushed in-between them as Ren let out a chuckle, Nora squealing in delight.

Finally, Weiss opened up the crudely wrapped box with the ruby red ribbon and lifted the lid, half expecting it to explode or fire dust projectiles upwards into her face upon opening but she was rather pleasantly surprised when she lifted out a hand sized notebook with the words '_A Diary for The Elegant and Cultured', _the ironic title that would only be taken seriously by one person in the circle instantly directed everyone's gaze to Ruby who looked shocked at being found out.

"..Thank you, Ruby. I'll make sure to use it" All eyes returned to Weiss as she seemed to stare down with a warm gaze, reading over the title of the book, obviously finding some humour with it, but also seemingly like she was genuinely pleased with it. Ruby pointed at herself in mock confusion, being the only one devoted to keeping their Santa Secret at that point.

There it was. That sight of Weiss smiling made Jaune chuckle as he felt like it was truly the happiest season of them all.

* * *

Following their joyous gathering, Pyro Black retreated to their dorm to open letters from home. Bellows of laughter and some coo-full 'aaws' could be heard from the other side of the door as Yang and Ruby entertained the whole room with Christmas messages from their fanatical father.

Back in Lavender White's dorm, the situation was rather different. In that room they all shared a common connection, in one way or another, they all had reasons not to receive letters from home.

Whether it was a high society family being too preoccupied and a sister on secretive business, no where to go without the school, or maybe having ran out on them following a stupid series of mistakes.

It was because of this bond that Nora had instead decided to take a nap after a day of Christmas fun, Ren had resigned to sitting upon his bed, inspecting all variations of calibrations upon his new firearm, and testing how resilient the new paint job was. The sombre tone was not lost, however, and Jaune felt the guilt piling up inside of him, choking him to the point where he could no longer feel comfortable where he sat.

"..Happy Holidays, Ren" Jaune offered to the teen as he stood up, wanting to offer any comfort he could, Ren nodded at him, returning the sentiment clearly  
"To you as well, Jaune" and with that, Jaune opened their dorm door and shut his mind off, allowing his legs to carry him as he simply wanted to think of nothing.

Before he realized it, Jaune felt a cold breeze and his vision was filled with cloudy white as he overlooked the coveted school grounds from where he stood, having somehow ended up on the roof, prompting him to ponder just what had compelled him to come here of all places.

As he stared off into the distance, Jaune thought of his family, and felt fear.

He hadn't spared them even a word, and whilst he was certain Ozpin had notified his family following Jaune's enrolment, they hadn't heard from him in, what had it been? Two years? More?

Jaune felt pathetic beyond words he could conjure. He was afraid of going back after how he left things and he was afraid to lose all connection with them whatsoever, Christmas was going to be spent without him. It must have been that way for the past two years but Jaune had been working as a sellsword and did not have any friends or close relations until he met Ozpin that day.

Because of that he hadn't known the joy of Christmas then and thoughts of Arc Christmas did not enter his mind. Though now, when he was happily laughing with those he held closest to him, he wandered back mentally to his first home, his sisters and parents.

"Jaune, do you mind if I join you?" rang a soothing voice as the inner torment almost ceased within him as he turned round with a small smile to respond  
"I think I'd like that" he told her as Weiss offered him a similar warm expression. It was then that he noticed her carrying something. A light blue present beautifully presented with a clear white ribbon.

"You got Ruby, remember?" Jaune reminded Weiss with a knowing smile as she approached him, holding out the box towards him with a slightly reddened expression, having prepared the present for more than a week before Nora had even come up with the idea to have a Secret Santa.  
"I wanted to get you one anyway" She locked eyes with Jaune and for a brief moment there was intense feelings of closeness between them as he took it from her and carefully undid the ribbon before lifting the lid.

Jaune's eyes widened as he picked out the item within with one hand, it was a rather expensive looking black leather jacket with dark metal buttons and a warm fur trimming. Immediately pulling it out Jaune went to adorn the jacket, placing his arms in the sleeves and pulling it upon himself, taking a spin and presenting himself to the heiress.

"This fits like a charm, thanks Weiss!" Jaune expressed exuberantly as Weiss chuckled at him but she shook her head as Jaune presented her a confused look.  
"Try casting ice" She spoke coyly with a glint in her eye as Jaune raised an eyebrow before holding out his palm and beginning to channel his power when all of a sudden a burst of icy aura burst into life on his hand, almost resembling a light blue flame.

What really drew his attention was his jacket, as soon as he begun to cast his power, it changed, the edges of the sleeve and coattail now presented icy patterns that glowed a brilliant white even in their snowy surroundings, and upon the back centre of his jacket a large shining Schnee snowflake insignia shine out as his jacket began to flap from the sheer force of the power flowing through him.

"The jacket is also infused with ice based dust, so wearing it when activating your power should now result in a radical increase in power and it should keep you from ever running out!" Weiss provided helpfully as Jaune pulled on his jacket to see the shining symbol and frosty markings at the bottom and sleeves, amazed by its radiant nature.

As Jaune decided he'd enjoyed the sudden increase in both and power a sufficient amount he released the icy aura, sending it upwards where it exploded into a graceful firework, though his newfound strength meant that the explosion spread colour over the entire rooftop, causing Weiss to smile with a hint of smugness at the effectiveness of her gift.

"Well, do you like-" Weiss was interrupted for the second time that day as she was pulled into a close embrace as Jaune gleefully hugged her tight, lifting her up in the air and spinning her round in a fit of laughter as she was caught unaware, face flushing red as he let out a hearty laugh before squeezing her tight prior to setting her down opposite him.

"I love it! I only wish that I had thought to get you-" Jaune began with a tinge of guilt in his tone but Weiss silenced him by holding a finger to his lips and silencing him.  
"I already found the necklace" she spoke slyly as Jaune spluttered, having meant to have hidden that perfectly in a box under his bed... a bed that was moved so that he could sleep closer to Weiss... He smacked himself inwardly.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself" Weiss spoke as she undid a few buttons on her white jacket and pulled out a silver chain with a perfectly formed sapphire connected to the end that glimmered under the bright cloud rays, and a bright white 'W' imprinted upon it. "How on earth did you afford this?"

"I once did a job for an excavator during _that _time, I found two of these and they reminded me of the eyes of the girl who cared for me through the most suffering if I've ever felt and kept it. All I had to do was take it them to a jeweller in the city and I used the money I got selling one of them to fine and mark the other. I got pretty lucky" Jaune shrugged with a smile as Weiss shook her head.

"No, I'm the lucky one" She beamed at him, _beamed _, that was a totally new one! Then she turned and began to walk towards the door to the stairwell, turning to him curiously and holding the door open for him.  
"Coming?" She asked as Jaune nodded gleefully, the dark thoughts removed from his mind as he walked over to her and began to head back to dorm. One clutching the hem of a new jacket, the other adjusting the position of her new gemstone with much care.

* * *

As the pair entered that familiar hallway, Weiss entered their room first after Jaune held it open for her in a mock gentleman pose which she rolled her eyes at. He chuckled before going to enter into the room to settle down for the day when he was stopped mid-step.

"Jaune, Jaune Arc?" hearing his name, the teen in question turned round to the source of the smooth voice. Before him was a girl of around his age wearing a dull black and grey uniform he identified as one from Haven Academy with charcoal black hair that fell down the side of her face almost obscuring one of her vivid amber orbs that almost bore into him.

"Uh, yeah. Have we met?" Jaune asked curiously, shutting the door beside him as he took a step towards the girl who for some reason ticked off something within him. He had no idea what it was but something about her just did not sit right whatsoever. What could it be?  
"No, I have just heard of you, your family speaks volumes" Jaune nodded, that was only natural, without his surname he probably wouldn't be known by any in the school other than his friends. "I wanted you to have something"

She spoke calmly and Jaune thought he had no need for concern or scrutiny but something in the back of his mind felt anxious and urged caution. The girl pulled out from her black satchel something that made Jaune's eyes widen. A deep red present with a fiery yellow ribbon lay in her hands as she offered the gift to him.

Jaune looked at it hesitantly before taking it from her grasp and eyeing it carefully.  
"That was all" The girl spoke before turning tail and walking off down the corridor as Jaune shook himself out of a stupor and called out to her.

"Wait! I don't even know your name!" He said as she smiled at him in a way that almost sent shivers down even _his_ spine.  
"Cinder Fall. And I like the jacket" She looked him up and down at the end of the hallway as Jaune narrowed his eyes suspiciously, she smirked at him  
"Merry Christmas, Jaune"

Jaune remained still for a few seconds even after she had left his sight, still feeling traces of her presence as he tried to wrap his head around that little exchange. Looking down at his hands he figured it would be best to open out here to avoid unnecessary concern from a certain heiress as he pulled loose the ribbon and lifted the lid. Staring back up at him was... a wishbone.

Jaune stared at it for a few moments, maybe expecting it to do something or change, but it remained still and stagnant. Sitting motionless in the box.  
He pondered the significance of the item for a good half a minute before placing the lid back on, stuffing the 'gift' into his jacket pocket and walking back into his dorm room, wanting to return to enjoy the rest of Christmas celebrations with the members of his second home.

* * *

Not one to let the last day before a school break up without squeezing every second of raucous fun, Nora Valkyrie had rallied her team and knocked upon the dorm door of team Pyro Black, pushing past the confused Pyrrha Nikos announcing the new beginning of party games.

It was because of that young girl's whimsical power that Jaune now stood as still as he could possibly muster as the room remained dead silent, tension running high as Nora squinted her eyes, her piercing gaze inspecting the six standing teens before her.

"...Ruby! Your foot twitched!" Nora sentenced the poor red headed girl to the row of chairs behind her with a shaming pointed finger as the poor lass let out a sad whine, her head hanging low as she took her seat beside Yang who had gotten too into her favourite song and not noticed when the music had stopped.

"Now... dance my puppets!" Nora commanded as she pressed the play button as her iconic playlist began to play through the speakers and the players began to move. ~_When the snowman brings the snow~_

What unfolded before all to see in that moment was a sight to see, and hope to forget. Five teenagers all trained to be warriors, all having experiences trials, tribulations and trauma in their very early years who now bended their life goals to becoming protectors of justice they were not granted... dancing to a pop festive song.

Blake was apparently mirroring whatever Pyrrha had learnt in years of enduring the constant public eye, dancing in a reserved manor, steps to and fro, various hand waves and gestures, all crudely copied by the flailing faunus beside her.

Lie Ren was a keen master of martial arts, but as extensive as the arts may be, they could not explain this. Jaune was almost certain body popping was not the opening chapter of 'The Remnant Art of War' by Gun Tzu.  
Yet Ren confidently displayed impressive skills in the matter, well having a friend like Nora probably meant a spontaneous requirement for dancing was never out of the question.

With Jaune, the girl opposite him was much more attuned to formal events and they often did not include a disco floor in the ballroom unfortunately, thus it was up to him as he took Weiss by both hands and tried to guide her by pulling and pushing out their arms occasionally including a spin.

"One, two, bit of a shimmy, good, good" Jaune murmured to himself, going to great efforts not to embarrass the both of them by messing up, rather afraid of how he didn't know what Weiss would become if she were to lose a party game by somebody else's hands.

Weiss was grateful for Jaune's rather more feminine side he showed occasionally, thanking his great number of sisters for that as Jaune was rather talented in the passtime, adjusting for her, and whilst it may be a little bit of an exhibition she much preferred it to attempting to dance presentably on her own.

Almost as quickly as it had began, the music stopped. Both Jaune and Weiss stopped dead, locking eyes as they didn't let a single further word pass their lips. The looming inspector Nora was once again in their midst, invading the personal spaces of anyone in order to catch them out.

Following an unsuccessful attempt at making Ren crack as he had built up an immunity to her antics, she progressed swiftly along to Jaune and Weiss who still stood as statues, conjoined hands locked in place.  
Placing a finger on her chin Nora soon grew a determined expression, contemplating just how to go about breaking them.

"_Jaune, I watch you when you sleeeppp. You know that sound you hear in the middle of the night? That's meee. It's always me!_" Nora whispered into his ear sharply as Jaune's eye twitched, he did sometimes hear unexplained noises...

He shook his head mentally, not physically of course. He wouldn't let her get in his head!  
Nora tutted in disappointment before her intense aqua gaze shifted towards Weiss, thinking of how to break her will, an almost visible lightbulb appearing above her head as she leaned in once more.

_"I always fold my napkins at inconsistent angles, sometimes acute, sometimes obtuse, it's anarchyyyy_!" Nora whispered spookily. Weiss's eyes widened for an instant but her composure remained standing strong, she was a Schnee heiress dagnabbit!

Nora sighed, almost feeling defeated until something glimmering off the light caught her eye, something blue.  
Peering down Nora was, for lack of a better way of phrasing, instantly attracted to the shiny thing. Seeing Nora's grabby hand reaching for her, Weiss instantly kicked into action.

"Hands off, thief!" Weiss yelled as she clutched her precious pendant with both hands, Nora let the mirth of victory enter her tone as she laughed manically, placing her judging finger into the heiress's face with a grin.  
"You're out!" she declared as Weiss began to protest, but seeing a lost cause, resigned and sat herself down upon the row with Ruby and Yang.

Jaune kept his pose, hands now outstretched holding the air as he resolved to win it in her place. As the next song commenced Jaune moved over to Blake and Pyrrha and began to move to the music with a greeting.

"Hello Jaune! Enjoying the festivities? New jacket?" Pyrrha returned the greeting happily grooving to the Christmas anthem as Blake spied her movements and contortions in a fruitless attempt to appear like she had any inkling of how she was supposed to dance.

"Yeah, Nora really puts the 'mas' in the word Christmas. You liking everything so far, Blake?" Jaune asked the bow adorning girl curiously as she sent him a knowing look. A silent exchange occurred in glances before she spoke.

"Fine. I hope things calm down a little though, I have something to read later..." Blake spoke intentionally vaguely, Pyrhha cracking a chuckle as she fully understood what Blake had intended. What Pyrrha didn't know was that the actual silent conversation between the two was very different.

Jaune knew, and had experienced first hand what Blake's early life was like. It was very likely that this was her first celebration of such an event. The look Jaune sent Blake was one asking her if she was happy, and making sure she knew that they were all knew to this kind of thing and that she should just enjoy the experience with everyone, both Jaune and Blake having experienced Christmas alone in the winter.

Blake's returning look carried a much simpler connotation. Yes.

Elated by the relief of knowing she was able to enjoy herself, Jaune didn't notice when Ren's body popping got a little too close for comfort, the kimono sporting boy caught unaware as Jaune took a spin and extended an arm.

"Look out!" Warned Pyrrha but Jaune had already knocked Lie Ren off of his feet, throwing off his rhythm and causing the black haired teen to stumble forwards... directly into Pyrrha and Blake.

"Freeze!" Nora spoke at just the right, or just the perfectly wrong, moment as once the music ceased what was heard were three dull thuds and a chorus of groans. Nora's manic laughter came on for an encore as she pointed accusing fingers at all three.

"Out! Out! Out! Gravity, oh what a cruel game wrecker you are! Jaune wins!" Nora cheered, raising the boy's arm up towards the ceiling as the sitting observers let out a small applause. Weiss getting up to congratulate her vicarious victor, not noticing the evil glint in the eyes of the despicable sisters behind her.

Before she could say a word to Jaune, something entered her field of vision, something green with a tinge of red. Jaune turned round to her as both focused on the foliage between them, looking to the source both saw the broad end of Crescent Rose suspending the green object in the air as Ruby struggled to keep it between them.

It was then Weiss realized just what had been hung before herself and Jaune. Those scheming witches...  
"Oh would you look at that?" Yang exclaimed in mock innocence, pointing at the mistletoe between the pair.  
"Well, it's Christmas after all, you guys don't wanna go against tradition!" Yang spoke with a wink.

Weiss glared rapiers at mischievous Miss Xiao Long, plotting just how to gather enough coal to fill her entire bed with. A hush instantly befell the room as the pair locked eyes. Weiss carried an expression of annoyance at the childish prank.

Jaune stared blankly, thoughts of a certain experience flooding his mind even as he tried to block them out they still came. He was lucky his complexion didn't show it as he would be fighting off a large blush right that moment.

Blake raised an eyebrow, curious to see how this would play out, Pyrhha looked genuinely shellshocked, Nora squee'd and grabbed Ren's arm in hopeful anticipation as the pair of sisters grinned menacingly at one another.

"Well... I mean, should we- I mean do you think we should just.. uh" Jaune began bashfully, his eyes all still  
"What? Whatever could you be implying, dear Jaune?" Weiss replied, her autopilot way of speaking politely compensating for her failure to come up with a regular response. Yang and Ruby began to chant quietly 'do it, do it~', soon joined by Nora as the curiosity in the room skyrocketed.

With all eyes on them, Jaune thought hard, possibly harder than ever before in his life, considering plans of a confession of love to freezing himself in a block of ice right then and there just to avoid this situation. In a matter of a few seconds that felt like arduous hours, he found a solution.

"Don't hit me, okay?" Jaune asked as Weiss's eyes shot open, he surely was not planning on-?  
Her thoughts were silenced as Jaune took her by the shoulders and leaned in. The entire room took and audible gasp as Weiss felt Jaune coming closer and shut her eyes.

Then she felt the pleasant touch of Jaune Arc's lips... pressed against her right cheek.

Weiss remained silent as she fluttered open her eyes, her expression one of shock, but not unpleasant shock, just surprise as she raised her hand to her cheek, her gaze searching Jaune's apologetic smile before the room was filled by the groans of Nora, Ruby and Yang.

"**Cop out!**" They moaned in unison as Jaune and Blake chuckled, Pyrrha releasing a breath and Weiss remaining with her hand to her cheek, just taking in that moment as the sensation lingered before Nora's stock full game night carried on through the evening.

* * *

As night fell and the foursome had left Pyro Black to rest from a needlessly tense game night, Nora lay comatose following a hefty mock Christmas dinner prepared by Ren, the team began to settle and prepare for slumber as Jaune exited the bathroom following changing into a plain tee and bottoms along with the single black glove before sitting himself on his bed.

Across from him filing her nails on her bed sat Weiss who looked up from her hand-iwork as he opened with a question he had been reluctant to ask as he simply wanted to enjoy the moments he spent with her.  
"When's your flight to Atlas?" he spoke quietly so as not to wake the cheerful beast as Weiss averted her eyes, a part of her wishing not to leave altogether. However she knew she'd have to, she would always have to.

"Two days, but you _will _remember to stay in contact, understand?" Weiss instructed, wanting to share at least a little of the season joy with her first friend over the break. Thinking of the teen opposite her and his situation, Weiss carefully constructed her question. "Are you staying here?"

Jaune shook his head to the heiress's surprise as she was aware of the situation he was in, and Weiss was partially responsible for which still haunted her.  
"I'm going home" No more was said as Weiss smiled at him, resting a hand on his knee and offering him a look that told him she was proud and that he was doing the right thing. Jaune smiled back, feeling more assured with her there. Though that was no surprise.

As team Lavender White lay down to rest, peaceful darkness filling the room, the foursome occupying the room, who had earlier suffered thoughts of segregation at Christmas now felt the warmth that can only come with family.

"Today was fun, Jaune. Thank you" Weiss spoke as Jaune turned round under his blanket to face Weiss who was laid down in a similar position, wearing her light blue nightgown and her hair freely draped across the duvet.

"You are very welcome. Same time next year?" Jaune joked as even Weiss couldn't help but let loose a warm smile, she nodded affirmatively before they shared a soft chuckle together, Weiss sending a fond gaze his way  
"Merry Christmas, Frosty"

Jaune laughed once more before he now nodded enthusiastically, her glowing expression making it hard to talk but he felt like the exchange would not be complete until he had returned with his favourite nickname.

"Merry Christmas, Snow Angel!" he was met with a rolling of the eyes but she smirked amusedly before turning away to sleep, Jaune watching her for a second before letting out a sigh and turning round to do the same.

The last thing that could be heard was the sound of lead hitting paper as Weiss made a record on her gift.  
'_December 20th- The most wonderful pre-Christmas ever'_

* * *

**_Hey, I know this is late but the season has been busy and well, my laptop is broken, hard drives am I right? Anyhow please review if you have any questions, leave a favourite or follow if you do so please and have a wonderful day! Thank you for reading!_**


	24. Black Ice Dagger

**December 15th**

Glynda pressed two fingers against her forehead in impatience, fixing the two with a scrutinizing glare.

"Now, I am aware that you two have a... history, and you share a team and dorm. It is outside of your control that you two would share a considerable amount of time together, however there are limits to physical contact that I feel have been rather exceeded in this case. Would you care to explain your persistence to remain in contact?" The Professor questioned the two who still stood hand in hand before her in Ozpin's office.

Weiss and Jaune shifted gazes uncomfortably, any thought lingering within them that they had been quiet about their recent increase in closeness. Walking between classrooms and to the cafeteria and back involved quite a lot of public display, and an image of those two walking together was not one so easily forgotten as displays of affection were rather rare in a school intended to breed warriors, let alone with the two of them.

"Miss Goodwitch, I don't really see the problem with it, Jaune is merely assisting me with.. posture!" Weiss explained, gesturing to the boy next to her with a smile, Jaune taking the hint and instantly straightening his back and reeling his shoulders back, lifting his chin with a 'convincing' grin and a thumbs up. Glynda raised her eyebrow, not even remotely moved.

"I see. Well, I would appreciate if you would tone it down" Glynda responded, fixing a gaze upon their joined hands "Perhaps immanently?" she prompted as Jaune and Weiss exchanged nervous glances. Jaune felt her grip tighten on his hand as she turned her eyes forward with clear determination.

"I am sorry, Miss Goodwitch, but I'm afraid that will not be possible" Weiss spoke boldly as Jaune stared at her in shock. Weiss had taken that tone with others, even Jaune himself in the past but teachers and other members of authority were usually only ever on the receiving end of the courteous and respectful side of the heiress, naturally following the way she was brought up. This was something entirely alien.

"I beg your pardon, Miss Schnee? I am merely asking for you to refrain from constant contact. You may still be around each other as before, what is the issue?" Glynda asked in confusion, she was aware of the closeness between the two, it was obvious to all, but surely this was a tad excessive?

"I'm sorry, professor, no" Weiss didn't relent, now placing both of her hands on Jaune's left, taking a stance in front of him as Jaune suddenly remembering something very important. Raising his hand to his chin and shock entering his eyes as he realised his mistake.

"Weiss, I uh. I sort of forgot, Glynda already-"  
"No, Jaune. I won't allow you to cause yourself harm over something so trivial. If us holding hands is such an issue, then perhaps we should take private study sessions rather than public class!" Weiss suggested as Glynda raised an eyebrow. Harm?

"Wait, wait, wait, remember how Ozpin found me before Beacon-"  
"This is not the time to reminisce, this is your welfare we are talking about!"  
"No, what I mean is, Glynda was there when I first came to Beacon so she-"  
"Are you saying you'd rather freeze than hold my hand until the replacement arrives?"  
"No, no, no, your hand is great! I mean, as hands go, you know, they're great! But-"  
"Then what exactly is it that you-"

"*Ah-hem*" Glynda cleared her throat and stopped the frantic squabbling in an instant, drawing both sets of eyes to her as she now understood the situation in its entirety. She looked to Weiss whilst indicating towards Jaune.

"If you are catering for Mister Arc's condition then you should know I am already fully aware of the situation" the professor assured with a sigh, not relishing in the unnecessary dispute during her lunch hour.

"...I see. Well then..." Weiss recoiled herself and stood back uncomfortably, looking to her right to see Jaune mouth a mute 'sorry' to her as Weiss averted her gaze, becoming aware of the gallant display she had just performed.

"I suppose that would mean this is for Jaune, then?" Glynda turned to her desk and took a package that had been laid down and presented it to the pair, Weiss identified the Schnee insignia reflexively, "This was to be delivered to the Lavender White dorm room later today" Glynda informed them as she handed the sky blue package to Jaune.

Jaune eyed it over, catching the credit details of the girl beside him inscribed upon the label, he called back to their decision to replace Jaune's presents from Weiss all that time ago with a replacement pair and Weiss's connections were the most reliable when purchasing dust augmented outerwear.

In all honesty, Jaune could have covered the costs himself. During the two years he spent AWOL, he had worked sporadically as a sword for hire for several different patrons, though whilst he had been paying for his living expenses he still built up quite a considerable bounty on his travels.

With Weiss, they often avoided talking about the two years apart, Jaune would do more than kick himself if he were to cause Weiss to feel any more guilt over his choices during that time, no matter how often he told her he wouldn't change a thing about what they've done together.

That didn't change the fact that what happened still lingered, Jaune had come across a colourful variety, some good and others very considerably not. He had presumably cut all ties when he ditched his old scroll and all its contacts when after coming across Ozpin and he hadn't paid it much thought since. He hadn't seen any reason to, this was his life now.

* * *

**Present**

Flickering his eyes open to a confusing sight, Jaune cocked his head to the side at an early risen Miss Valkyrie in a pair of white jeans and a garish pink polo shirt confining her hammer into its launcher state and managing to conceal it within a Beacon brand satchel.

Over her shoulder was Lie Ren, except in place of his usual oriental green garb, he now stood rather smartly dressed in black suit and tie, contrasting to the pair of firearms, one still conspicuously pink, that he now carried in either hands, the blazer sleeves he now adorned having not nearly enough stretch capacity to hold them.

"Fancy dress?" Jaune half-slurred as he heaved himself out of his bedspread and raised an eyebrow at the two, noticing the four empty beds beside him as Nora turned to him with the excited grin that usually meant an either very fun or very explosive day was ahead of her, though he supposed with Nora that was redundant.

"Jauune~! Did you already forget?! We're going deep cover!" Nora gestured a silenced pistol dramatically with a giggle as Ren stepped forward in order to elaborate.  
"Today was when we were supposed to help Pyro Black investigate the White Fang, to help Blake?" he reminded his leader helpfully.

Jaune could have smacked himself. Following the other team's talk with their recently troubled faunus friend, the decision was made to take matters into their own hands and launch a mini investigation of recent activities. Ruby had come to inform Jaune and Nora not being one able to tolerate being left out of the fun insisted upon increasing the party and thus Lavender White was added into the mix.

Just to add to the amount of imposing Nora was responsible for, her compulsory hibernation following Friday's final lesson meant the plan had to be pushed to the week end, which while actually advantageous in some ways, didn't bode well for the nerves of one Blake Belladonna, to whom Jaune spent a while profusely making an apology to on his hammer wielding heroine friend's behalf.

"So, incognito is the dress code. You certainly look the part..." Jaune gestured towards Ren but turned a sceptical eye to the boisterous apparel of the girl beside him which was in truth not that different from the colour scheme she usually chose to adorn as she reprised her trademark grin before placing on a pair of sunglasses  
"I am the casual super-rich girl who has decided to take a walk through the town, and thiiis~" Nora gestured to Ren, prideful of her chosen aliases, "is my personal bodyguard, Chive" she finished coolly as Ren let out a sigh that would entice sympathy from even the likes of Torchwick.

"Chive? So what's your name?" Jaune asked as he decided to humour the blissfully childlike fun Nora seemed to be getting out of this, she looked at him oddly.  
"Nora." she answered as a happy matter of fact before skipping off to check her alter ego, which was not so alternate, in the mirror once more as Ren nodded at Jaune, a silent understanding that what cannot be helped cannot be helped occurring between them.

The sound of the bathroom lock clicking open was followed by Jaune's eyes drawing over to the supposedly disguised figure of Weiss Schnee exiting to be examined by her team mates, the image of the Schnee heiress was not exactly shrouded in mystery either yet at least looked different from usual as she was herself wearing the light purple tinted jacket and black skirt accentuated by dark tights that lead to a pair of nondescript heels Jaune had seen her in before, a contrast to her usual bright white choice of outfit.

"You're not ready yet? We are expected at half past eight, you realize?" Weiss greeted her thick and thin partner with her motif brand scornful 'hello' as Jaune smiled  
"All right, sorry, slept in" he admitted with both hands raised as Weiss shook her head before her eyes snagged on his bedside, Jaune followed her gaze curiously as she raised a finger to the edges of his blanket that were currently tainted with ice.

"Frozen...? Did I do that?" Jaune knelt to investigate the oddity, it wasn't usual that he would unconsciously activate his power, yet the cold touch and unmistakable light blue tint upon the edges of the bedside were proof enough. It was at this moment that something came to Jaune, images began to enter his mind, dark and fleeting visions of a sudden awakening and a figure upon him before he could recall no more.

"Please try not to transform the dorm room into a winter wonderland in the future if you'd please? Now, you must get ready, and remember, incognito." Weiss stressed as Jaune temporarily disregarded the odd sense of forgetfulness he had confounded himself with and approached the chest of drawers to find something to fit the bill. What escaped Jaune's inspection upon the bedside was the hot steam emanating subtly from the melting ice as he put those thoughts to the back of his mind.

* * *

"A little crowded for a black op, no?" Yang Xiao chided as the group of eight gathered within the close confines of the Pyro Black team dorm room, with the bunk beds that had been placed haphazardly before Pyrrha had stepped in and found some metal to legitimately weld the legs together so as to avoid any unfortunate collapses at the crack of dawn.

Jaune scratched the back of his head bashfully, offering a silent apology to Blake from across the room who shook her head with an assuring smile that it was okay, Jaune had chosen to don a dark grey hoodie and regular jeans, over the top he figured that his newly acquired leather jacket was suitable as long as he didn't activate his power, which if his side went well, he hopefully wouldn't need to.

"It's _fine, _this way we can cover all the bases! The investigation is afoot, the game is on!" Ruby cheered, Blake rolled her eyes at the antic, grateful that her friends had taken an interest into helping her settle her fears but she did begin to wonder whether or not any of this would actually work out, they were pretty much still children training with super powered artillery. Pyrhha was obviously prepared to fight if need be but combat is not everything when it came to being a huntress, especially if the specific mission happens to be espionage.

As the faunus looked around the room, however, her mind pondered how much this group of individuals had actually been through, Yang and Ruby were sisters with different last names and Ruby was let into the school two years early, Nora and Ren have never once mentioned parents, Pyrrha has been in the limelight her entire life, perhaps they had all been through things that Blake may never have guessed.

Then her eyes came across the purple clad girl and hooded teen with whom she went furthest back, of course she knew most about them, she was well aware of the crossfire the Schnee households came under as a result of the White Fang's turn, and she had personally played a part in Jaune's hardship, helping to pave the path of events that lead to him and Weiss's separation and the two years Jaune spent alone. Now that she thought about it, he never really did talk about it, then again neither did she, nor anyone really, she supposed everyone was simply focused on the present.

"Yeah, no, that's cool, but what are we doing?" Jaune raised a hand, indicating to his kitted up team, Nora almost bouncing excitedly to hear how her acting skills would come into play, Ruby took a sweeping glance between them and then back to Pyrrha, Blake and Yang before making up her mind with a definitive nod.

"Nora, Ren, you will go with Yang to fit in and cause distraction at the club!" Nora let out a cheer, grabbing Ren by the arm and dragging him over to their new mutual team mate who offered a wry smile, not quite sure about the inclusion of the certain orange haired loose cannon on a stealth mission but at least she had her ninja hubby to keep her in line, she supposed.

"Blake and Pyrrha are already going to investigate the White Fang so Jaune, I suppose you and Weiss can... hmm" Ruby pondered, placing her finger to her chin momentarily. Having had Lavender White's inclusion rather sprung upon her, Ruby was not intent on letting their assistance go to waste.  
"Intercept some of Roman's henchman on a mission?" Sun added helpfully.  
"Ooh, yeah, you two can- _ah_!" Ruby yelped , recoiling instantly from the window that beheld the hanging form of Sun Wukong with his face wide grin, alerting all within the dorm room who looked to the surprise intruder.

"Sun?!" Blake exclaimed, happy to see him again but didn't expect it to be so abrupt, or the boy himself to be upside down smiling through their dorm window.

"You should get inside, I'm not sure how strong that branch is!" Pyrrha advised with worry, opening up the windows. Sun raised a dismissive hand to her  
"Pshaw, I do it all the- oh, never mind that doesn't work with what you said." Sun sighed as an alternate voice called out from outside the window.

"Listen to the woman, man!" came a shrill tone as Ruby, Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha and Weiss peered outside the window to see the form of Sun's blue haired companion by the name Neptune Vasilias shivering beside the windowsill who did his best at a charismatic smile, "Yo. Care if we drop in? Like, quickly? We are very high up right now" he urged as Sun laughed before offering a hand to his friend to help him inside.

"So, we finally taking the fight to the baddies?" Sun asked with a daring smirk, obviously raring for a fight as Neptune stepped in from behind him.  
"Mind if we crash the party?" he asked with a smirk, betraying to his expectations however, Ruby placed her palm to her forehead with a groan, Jaune slipped a sympathetic smile as Ruby had already filled her hands with fitting four previous extra members into the plan.

"Right, right, okay. Then, let me think, let me think..." Ruby racked her mind as Weiss stepped forward with her own proposition.  
"Well, actually, Ruby, I may be able to retrieve some very useful information with my connections, so why don't Jaune and I-"  
"Ooh! I know, Sun and Jaune can tail some henchman-" Ruby pulled the two blonde boys together and then turned to Weiss, "and you, me and Neptune can go digging at the family files!" Ruby continued, pushing Neptune towards the heiress who began to protest unintelligibly.

"Uh-well-I-mean-I'm Sun's partner and- well- Jaune would probably-well, um" Neptune spoke as Weiss frantically waved her hands to attract Ruby's attention.  
"Actually, Ruby, maybe Neptune would be better suited to a more active job like tracking down henchman, and Sun has a very unique weapon, you'd like to see it, right?" Weiss reasoned as Neptune frantically nodded, the vibrant teen sparing anxious glances to Jaune who looked to the wall to the left that he suddenly took a great interest in.

"Okay okay I get the hint!" Ruby conceded as the occupants of the room let out a sigh of relief. "Sun, you can come with me and Weiss to the computer lab and Jaune, you'll go with Neptune to catch some of Roman's henchman on a mission!" Ruby declared, leaving Weiss to smack both palms to her forehead simultaneously.

* * *

"Now, if we were criminal goons..." Neptune mused as he and the hooded teen beside him walked the bustling streets of Vale, having separated from the group of ten, this pair had decided to start their particular operation by getting an idea of the area first, neither Jaune nor Neptune lived in this area and the former had only been here recently at the behest of one Weiss Schnee.

Going by the criminal handbook, it would be better to wait for nightfall as that was when most elicit activities took place, it was only natural, a daylight robbery may make an exceptional movie plot but was in reality far too big of a risk, especially when it was probable in the city of Vale that every second person that passed by had a fully operational gun slash sword to whip out at the first sign of danger.

Still, if Yang's info was accurate, daily deals were still present in the form of Junior's men shaking down local store owners or bodyguards protecting warehouses brimming with stolen artillery or goods. Deciding to try their luck, Jaune and Neptune decided to turn down a back alley, similar to the ones Jaune had chased down when pursuing Sun Wukong the last time he'd been here.

Jaune tread softly with his features concealed by his grey hood, hands in the pockets of his leather dust riddled jacket, aware that a complexion and disposition of his was alone likely to inspire unwanted intrigue if he wasn't also known to Roman and the White Fang. Neptune on the other hand, had been dragged along to the perilous ledges of the Beacon dorm rooms by his team leader on a whim and hadn't had time nor incentive to dress incognito, luckily his choice of battle garb was more suit and tie than gladiator armour so he shouldn't be too identifiable as a huntsman.

"You know, if the blonde chick is gonna interrogate the big man herself, what's the point in us looking for small fry?" Neptune whispered to his companion who remained wary of his surroundings in the dark avenue, monitoring his six and maintaining awareness of where they set foot with every step.  
"Roman and Junior don't work together, Roman only hires goons from Junior. Last time we had a run-in, Roman only used the White Fang, he doesn't seem to have any go to guys when it comes to dirty work so if he does have people working for him, Junior isn't necessarily going to know about it." Jaune explained as he craned his head round a corner, seeing it empty before walking on.

"Ahh, got it. So, where we headed?" Neptune asked, observing his bleak, repetitive surroundings that contrasted the busy streets of the main city they had just walked from. Jaune had taken the initiative by leading the pair and Neptune had simply decided to follow in faith, now growing curious lest it turned out that Neptune had accidentally been leading and Jaune wandering aimlessly.

"Remember when I said we fought Roman last? It was at the docks near some big warehouses, Roman seemed pretty relaxed for a guy robbing such a large shipment so it made me think he has to be at least familiar with the area, and who would expect him to have guys in the same place we had already found him?" Jaune explained, knowing his logic not to be exactly water tight but they needed a starting point.

"Right, okay, if you think we'll find anything" Neptune supposed as they continued on darting through the sketchy routes and diversions astray from the main population, Jaune lowered his head, thoughts from earlier returning to the surface. Pictures of a dark shape above him confused the young man, if something so vivid were real, why was he barely able to recall anything?

_"GAH!" _Jaune's thoughts were dismissed at the echo of a far cry reverberated between the walls beside the pair as they shared a brief look, nod, then sprinted forward in the direction of the call. To Jaune's memory, the direction they now headed was in fact the way to the docks, perhaps his initial idea was not so far fetched after all, still, he couldn't revel in that as the duo sprang upon the scene.

Stepping into the light from the dusty shadows of the back streets they had just navigated through, Neptune and Jaune immediately readied their weapons as they were met with the sight before them. A collection of, perhaps dozens of fallen men littered the concrete before the docks, all similar in their attire, a white full body uniform with a blood red wolf decorating their backs.

Standing in the centre of the site was one last member, his feet dangling helplessly in the air as he clung to the single hand that suspended him off the ground, pleading for mercy, and the hand that he held was connected to a bare arm with black slits around the upper arm, leading to a thin form veiled by a teal cloak, the only feature discernible from the figure being a set of blade worthy teeth reflecting the light of day.

"Tell me, now. What does she want with us? Why does Adam listen to her?!" the familiar threatening tone of the teen visibly rattled the White Fang member in hand as he shook his head fervently from side to side, unable to formulate a proper sentence, instead releasing stuttered and disjointed replies which only served to intensify the holder's impatience as he audibly growled at the captive.

"You... You're the assassin" Jaune spoke, taken aback at the sight as Neptune turned to him for elaboration, having nary an idea at who in the world was before them  
"He was originally after Weiss, then me, at the request of the White Fang. But..." Jaune began to explain as the figure noticed them, and with realising the broken member in his grasp was of no more use, dropped the faunus harshly to the ground and began to approach the two newcomers.

"You think they're having troubles?" Neptune pondered the cloaked teen's connection to the members of the organization who now lay mangled and beaten upon the ground as the supposed assassin carelessly stepped over them on his way over to the intrusive pair. As the threat drew closer, the shadow upon his face lifted enough for Neptune to see the face of a boy around their age, with his mouth fitting blades still aglow, contrasting to the pair of deep black, pupil-less eyes that lay above them.

Jaune raised his sword with one hand and began to channel his power into his left palm, an icy blue aura beginning to form around his fingers as the symbol upon the back of his leather jacket became ever so slightly visible. To his surprise, the figure didn't flinch, nor did he seem ready to take the two on, instead he came to a halt about a metre from the pair and raised his hands to his teal hood, pulling it down before them, revealing to the two his head of licorice black scraggly hair that suggested an untamed and feral nature.

"Hello, Arc, and... other" the figure began as Jaune narrowed his gaze, ready for a sudden move as Neptune frowned at his sudden lack of significance, reminded of Sun.  
"I guess you think I'm going to try and kill you now," the figure continued, tone devoid of emotion, speaking in an aloof and casual manner that only served to unsettle Jaune further.

"Well, I'm not. In future, my hood being down usually means I'm not going to bite" he carried on, Jaune's attention was captured, but he still kept a conscious eye on the teen, the last two experiences being enough to cause suspension of belief on his part when it came to the assassin's sudden peaceful approach. What snagged him was the boy's use of 'in future', what exactly did that imply?

"I am, as of about now-ish if I were to gamble, kicked out of the club when it comes to the W.F. So hurting you would only be for reasons as simple as payback for freezing me half to death," the figure explained, which might have been intended to soothe Jaune's fears but had purely the opposite effect as the assassin resumed  
"Don't worry, there are bigger fish to worry about than you. My non conventional resignation from the Fang here" the assassin waved his hand to the numerous groaning members upon the ground beside the three, "was a result of a certain development at camp that I didn't take too well."

"Now, the Fang has always been a little bit harsh when it came to getting our way, and admittedly I never really had that big of a problem with it, but now it's not even about us, Adam, you remember Adam? Big red jerk-off? Spoke like an angsty twelve year old? We may have tried to murder you? Yeah, apparently he made some deal with some human and now is working directly under his or her thumb. Us! The world feared White Fang, spreading tyranny, larceny and murd- well I should probably stop there, now a stringed puppet for some conspiracy or something like that. So I quit, though upon reflection, sticking around long enough to figure out just who I have to tear to pieces would probably have been a smart move, too. Oh well, I suppose my ways of finding out are fun too!" the figure smirked, apparently almost forgetting the pair of dubious huntsman in training before him.

"So..." Neptune racked his brain, the sudden low down on the assassin being a lot to take in having never seen him before in his life, trying to figure out what was what  
"You worked for them, tried to kill Jaune, but now you don't like working for a human so you quit and now you're... on... our side?" Neptune deducted with a hint of hope that they wouldn't have to come to blows with the guy who just took out about twenty men with seemingly his bare hands.

"Your side? Not quite, goggles, I'm still pretty much, well by every hold's law a criminal, and I have a history. I'm pretty sure I don't have to elaborate on that front" the black haired teen looked knowingly into Jaune's eyes, the nature of the assassin's work not needing further description. Jaune looked down in contemplation, clearly remembering the time this teen had held a fifteen year old Weiss and threatened her with endless torture, and the time he had attempted to burn the skin off of Jaune's very bones with scalding hot water. Aside from them, how many people had this guy hurt?

Still, right now, it seemed that he meant them no harm. A definite right and wrong response wasn't as clear as Jaune would have preferred, instead, he'd take this slow.  
"What's your name?" he asked, if for now he was going to believe what the teal garbed boy was saying, this was a good starting point as any. If he could help find the ones controlling the White Fang, surely a chance should be taken? After all, Jaune himself had hurt people too.

"Huh, well..." the figure looked taken aback with the question, looking toward the ground in deliberation for a moment at how best to respond to the simple question,  
"I suppose before now you might've called me 'Tiburon', but that was more of a work name, Adam gave it, in fact, after seeing my particular features, all the more reason to burn it. I suppose real names will do, only first, though, I don't feel like getting reported to authorities." Former 'Tiburon' decided before looking back up to the pair, the complete stranger and the young would-be victim of his.

"Kasche. Like 'cash', spelled in a way that annoys people, which would be ideal but not for an organization that pillages and conquers without blinking. I'd be killed at the damn registry, not that I was officially registered. Anyway, I imagine you two are looking for answers, why else would you be all the way out here? Well, I am too, evidently, and a little assistance from a group of trained teen killers couldn't hurt. As such, I suppose a peace offering of sorts could be me leading you to the White Fang meeting tonight." Kasche mentioned before turning away from them and approaching one of the downed soldiers, picking out one that had gotten off easier than the others, with only a few scratches and bruises to show for their encounter.

Before speaking, Kasche slowly reached around his neck and pulled his teal hood over his face again, shrouding all but his glowing whites that instilled instant fear.  
"You're not going to tell me where the meeting is, are you?" Kasche asked, already knowing the answer as the White Fang member began to apologize profusely,  
"I'm sorry! They changed it after y-you left so that you wouldn't show! We are being transmitted it later, though! If you want to wait, then we can-"  
"No, forget about it, but boy, am I hungry, do you mind?" Kasche interrupted, the member's confusion instantly becoming terror as he took in his interrogator's words who now rolled up the man's sleeve and bared his teeth.

"Wait, wait, wai-!" Kasche's teeth penetrated his skin upon contact, causing the member to let out a less than manly squeal as he began to squirm in pain, before Jaune could step in, Kasche retracted from the arm, leaving two sets of bloody teeth marks in the faunus's arm as Kasche ran his rough tongue over the trickling red prize coating his teeth.

Adrenaline gained from the rejuvenated terror allowed the member to clamber away from the shark faunus before him and run for all he could as the other downed members painstakingly followed suit, clumsily stumbling away as Kasche sent them off with a toothy grin, knowing exactly where they were headed even after they disappeared from view.

"Kasche! What are you doing?!" Jaune demanded, already having doubts about this little partnership as Neptune raised his rifle instinctively at their now named 'friend'.  
"Now don't overreact. It's a little trick of mine. You got ice, right? And your princess girlfriend has those magic circle things? Well see these?" Kasche pointed to the jagged set of weapons held in his grin, Jaune recovering from the use of the words 'princess girlfriend' in order to look closer.

"Not just for show, or maiming in fact. They have a special little trait, you huntsmen keep your limbs together with aura, right? These babies cut through it all." he gnashed his teeth together, the metallic like clamp emphasizing his point as he continued on, "That's not all though, as soon as I get a taste of a lucky volunteer's blood, they're on the radar. My radar, I can sense them for miles and miles, I'm still not sure if there's a distance limit but I do know it gets stronger the closer they are. It actually bodes well for my enemies, you know. They get to live so long as they run on back to their employer, leading me along the way without even knowing it." Kasche announced with pride evident in his usually haughty tone. Jaune wondered just how large the extent of purposes one such as Kasche would have for such an ability.

"Leading to the point, those little troopers that just ran tail between legs? My biting buddy is now my very own beacon, so to speak. So all that is left to do is enjoy each other's company for a couple hours before nightfall and I sense ol' bitemarks heading to a specific point in the city. Then we head there and find out what's what, maybe smash a couple heads together, and have ourselves a night to remember, sound good?" Kasche lifted up his hood once more, shining a sly grin that Jaune and Neptune both knew was incapable of innocence, contrary to his otherwise youthful appearance.

_"Psst, can we trust this guy?_" Neptune lent into Jaune's ear who looked back unsure, the smiling figure of Kasche, if 'Kasche' was his real name, stood unstirred by the scrutinizing glares he was receiving from the two teens opposite him. Jaune wondered, it was true that up until now the assassin before them had only attacked with the interests of the White Fang, or at least that was probably the case, and having an inside source on their enemy besides Blake would be pretty useful in the long term, however it all came down to how genuine the hooded teen's desire for an alliance truly was.

"Kasche. I want to make something clear..." Jaune stepped forward towards the boy who stood about a head smaller than him, Kasche merely smiled and listened closely  
"If you go after any of my friends, including Neptune here, any of his team, my team or anyone else at Beacon, I am strong enough to beat you. When I was fifteen I managed to hold Adam, your former boss, off with only Weiss to help, then I spent two years honing my abilities and with even more training here as well as new techniques and a special piece of clothing that strengthens my powers even more, I don't even know how strong I am now."

Kasche craned his head, looking the imposing teen that stood above him with a curious expression before conceding and nodding slowly. Jaune sighed, having said that, Weiss was more than a little help, including the last fight between himself and Kasche which resulted in Weiss stepping in to save him, he likely hadn't seen the full extent of the shark faunus's powers either.

"All right then, coffee? I feel like getting acquainted with my new brothers in arms and I could devour a mocha latte. How about it?" Kasche suggested with his toothy grin returning once more before he walked between Jaune and Neptune, hands in pocket as he guided them both away from the docks, all the while keeping a mindful eye on his new companions, teeth ready just in case.

* * *

Kasche's Q and A was relatively simple, who was the blue haired one, why had they come to the docks, how much did they know, how powerful were their friends, any interesting semblances? Kasche rarely outwardly expressed interest in the answers, but occasionally slipped his façade when hearing about things such as Ruby coming to Beacon two years early and Blake Belladonna also being an ex Fang. What snagged his attention most, however, was whenever Jaune talked about Pyrrha, Jaune was consistently taking care not to tell too much to Kasche if worst case rang true and he turned on them, yet from the little he did say, Kasche was captivated.

"Polarity, huh? You could escape any cage..." he had mused at the time. On the flip side, they didn't learn much about him, the most significant thing, Jaune supposed, was that he was approached by the Fang rather than volunteering and that he was in fact eighteen, only a year older than Jaune, which meant that when Jaune had sacrificed his DNA in order to beat a dangerous terrorist, the terrorist had been a sixteen year old boy. Great.

As dusk fell, Kasche picked up something, the presence of the bitten Fang member moving linearly to an area near the cargo warehouses, as such Jaune, Neptune and their newly recruited guide headed towards the place the presence stopped moving. The three now sped towards the same destination as their ignorant tracker signal, Kasche taking the lead as they hurried against daylight hours.

Not having received any kind of contact from the other teams, Jaune hoped they were doing all right, he especially worried for Yang, having the mental image of Nora, Ren and the poor girl herself all trying to squeeze onto one motorcycle, the thought hadn't occurred to the blonde girl until the morning meeting was over, apparently, that her bike was a two seater.

"Here, he stopped just up from here..." Kasche called behind to his two followers, the teal cloak shifting direction to the right with Jaune and Neptune picking up the pace so as not to be left behind, due to his lack of heavy gear Kasche was quite the nimble mover, navigating the dark streets fluidly. As they drew closer, sounds of multiple gasps could be heard as Kasche looked confused, "Why is he running away all of a sudden...?"

The answer he received was not verbal, rather it was the form of the massive, armoured mech suit that crashed through the wall of the warehouse they were just coming up on, a black glow emanating from it all the while, colliding with the steel wall of the warehouse adjacent, leaving a sizeable dent in that too as two forms darted out from the hole in the original warehouse.

Recognising the forms of Blake Belladonna and Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune called out to them, upon hearing, the pair ran over to join them, but not before Blake's eyes went wide as she recognised the youth standing in the teal hooded cloak beside Jaune, who currently stared intently at the newly arrived redhead he had previously heard of and taken a considerable interest in.

"You... You're alive" Blake spoke incredulously, directed at the new figure Pyrrha didn't remember meeting, the boy turned his black gaze to Blake's shock stricken orbs,  
"Let's avoid talking about pasts, okay?" Kasche sent her a look that Jaune could have sworn carried a hidden menace beneath the initially kind sounding tone.  
Suddenly becoming re-aware of the current situation, Blake looked back to the warehouse in alarm, seeing the mech suit begin to pick itself up.

"Pyrrha, can you still use your semblance?" Blake asked her team mate, having been blown away with how she had almost effortlessly flung the mech with Roman inside towards the warehouse wall when it was about to open fire. Pyrrha had posed as a faunus to get in, but Roman had been present to deliver a speech, and unluckily, hadn't concussed himself and forgotten the time Pyrrha and Blake had a little encounter with him at the docks.

"I'm sorry," Pyrhha shook her head, her hands on her knees tiredly, "It is heavier than it looks, we should contact the others." she turned to Jaune who nodded before taking out his scroll and finding Ren in the registry as Neptune did the same with Sun. Ren picked up almost instantaneously, answering with a clearly annoyed tone and Jaune could guess how things went on his side.

_"Yes, well, Nora got us removed from the club by trying to usurp the DJ, though it turned out Junior didn't really know anything anyway." _Ren explained before Jaune filled him in on the current situation, _"All right, we will head there at once." _and with that, Ren hung up. Neptune nodded before also ending his call, confirming that Sun was coming as well as Ruby and Weiss.

"She was asking if you were all right, also, just letting you know" Neptune spoke privately to Jaune who chuckled in response before their attention was called towards the mechanical titan that had now gotten itself back on its feet and now targeted itself towards the group of aspiring huntsman and huntresses who, in turn, began to run in the opposite direction, the clumps of hard metal following behind them becoming all too audible as they pressed on forward.

"So, we gonna run into the city and distract this thing with the police? You guys like the police right?" Kasche suggested as he fronted the group, his teal cloak flapping behind him as he made the suggestion. Jaune caught up to him, using the ice beneath his soles to skate, instantly picking up speed and closing the two's distance.  
"No, we should head to the docks and douse this thing!" Jaune declared almost without thinking, it was the first thing that popped into his head, what beat robots? Water.

"Drown it, huh? Cruel, yet very effective." Kasche agreed in a tone too suggestive for Jaune to feel comfortable with as the snow haired teen began to formulate a plot, taking into consideration the members of his team and Pyro Black that were at different parts of the city. Whilst winging it at best, Jaune reached for his scroll and made a group call, tapping the names of Yang Xiao Long and Weiss Schnee.

_"Riding to the centre of the city- HEY, stop struggling you two!"  
"Faster, Yang! There is a giant robot to smash!"_  
_"Why are there no seatbelts on this vehicle? It seems rather dangerous."_  
_"We'll discuss vehicle safety LATER, lotus boy! Jaune, what's the situation?"_

Jaune took instant sympathy with Yang over the transmission but shook his head free of distraction as the dial tone picked up his second caller and a worried voice rang,  
_"Jaune?! What's happening out there, are you all right?"_ Weiss's voice transmitted, Jaune's temporary elation at hearing her squandered when the metallic clanks from behind in the street grew louder and more prominent.

"Listen, both of you! Roman's got a mech suit and is after us, we're gonna try to submerge it! Yang, you and Nora need to get to the top of the warehouse by the docks where we last fought Roman and wait there with weapons ready! Weiss, you need to get to the docks ahead of us and freeze the floor, all of it, you think you can do that?" Jaune yelled through the scroll, behind him he could hear the sounds of Neptune and Pyrrha opening fire upon the mechanic monstrosity as it grew ever closer.

_"Got it! I will- Arghh! I will turn this thing around, you two!"_  
_"Understood. Be safe!"_

With the replies from both parties, Jaune disconnected the call and pulled up the positioning system but struggled to input info whilst he was meant to be running away,  
"Forget the scroll, I'll guide Iron Giant here on an alternate route that will allow times for blondie and tiara to get set up!" Kasche called out to him as he took a left turn, heading down a stone paved marketplace that now stood stagnant with shops all closed.

Jaune narrowed his glare upon the cloaked faunus beside him, Kasche had never been introduced to Yang, yet the nickname 'blondie' came to his mind? Dismissing the thought but keeping Kache firmly in the back of his mind, Jaune proceeded to outline his plan to Neptune, Blake and Pyrrha. With exchanging looks, they all agreed and thus the operation was on.

Lead by Kasche, Jaune and the rest tried their best to keep Roman at just enough of a distance to avoid getting hit but also have him close enough not to lose interest, for the next half-hour, Kasche guided them through the wide back alleys and nightlit, vacant roads as Jaune unleashed countless blasts of ice to slow the metal beast but not freeze it entirely. Blake, Pyrrha and Neptune had begun to grow visibly tired as their pace slackened and their attacks became less frequent.

"Feeling aches? Well then, let's take a shortcut!" Kasche announced, still full of energy and leading the pack, he took a sudden turn towards the sounds of distant car horns and chattering townspeople, Jaune instantly caught what Kasche intended and turned to the group's guider with an icy fire present in his frozen cold glare.  
"No, Kasche. We are NOT involving civilians in this!" he commanded, earning a sidelong glance from the faunus.

There seemed to be almost a challenging glint in the black locked boys even darker eyes as he connected looks with Jaune for just a moment that stretched hours, Jaune could feel him baring into his very soul until something equating to fear began to bubble up in Jaune's gut. As soon as it began, however, Kasche broke contact and changed course back to the docks as planned. Jaune had won that round.

A buzz coming from his pocket, Jaune pulled out his scroll and read the large illuminate letters that spelled 'READY' across the screen, with a look upwards, Jaune could just about make out the docks at the end of the alley they now took, seeing a girl his age with an asymmetric white ponytail and deep purple jacket standing on the concrete with her rapier poised ready.

"Let's go!" Jaune let out a cry as they ran the final leg, just as they picked up speed however, a thought occurred, would the ice be enough? Maybe they needed... Jaune gasped as he looked across to Blake's Gambol Shroud in her hands, it was perfect, but how to...?

"Jaune!" came a sudden and very surprising voice as Jaune turned to his left to see the small form of Ruby Rose running alongside him, initially confused as to just how she was managing to keep up, Jaune peered down to realise that her legs were moving at rather unnatural speeds, her semblance being the clear answer as Jaune recalled what he had just been thinking.

"Ruby! I need your help with something!" Jaune quickly informed her, time being of the essence. However instead of having to elaborate, Ruby simply nodded at him.  
"Want to trip the mech suit, right? I thought of that too! I also thought you'd need someone fast, so, here I am!" Ruby smiled, Jaune replying with the same as he had forgotten how useful she could be when coming up with last ditch plans.

"Blake! Throw me Gambol Shroud!" Jaune called black to his feline friend who had just got done unloading a round into Roman's mech when she looked rather sceptical at Jaune's request, clutching her chosen weapon subconsciously as she remained perplexed by Jaune's request. Jaune raised an arm to her and pleaded, "Please, trust me!" Blake broke out of her stupor and complied, tossing the weapon into his hands before he turned back to Ruby.

"Here, take this. You know what to do!" Jaune handed her one end of the whip and the surprisingly quick on the uptake girl nodded, instantly catching his meaning as the pair began to speed ahead of the others, Jaune skating alongside Ruby who went at half speed to allow Jaune to keep up. As they drew closer to Weiss, they separated sideways, pulling the whip tight as they came to the end of the alley.

"NOW, WEISS!" Jaune called as she plunged the blade downwards, immediate ice began to coat the floor as Yang and Sun from on top of the warehouse stood ready for orders. Kasche, Pyrrha, Neptune and Blake all passed through, ducking underneath the whip and taking a stance on either side of the alley exit. Roman was seemingly to caught up in his chase to see the signs and strode on forward until it was too late.

Jaune and Ruby pulled with all their combined might as the large metal leg caught on the whip, losing its balance altogether and placing one heavy foot down on the floor to stable itself, only to be propelled forward by the icy surface and begin to slide towards the water. In a panic, Roman span the robot around and was going to attempt to dig its arms into the concrete but was stopped when, at Jaune's command, Yang Xiao Long unleashed a barrage of shots from her high position upon the roof to deal the final blow, sending the mech reeling into the unforgiving waters below the docks.

The machine impacted into the water creating a resounding splash that sent waves splashing upwards into the air, raining down on the tired group of huntsman and huntresses who all let out an exasperated sigh having been running for the past odd hour. Knowing not to celebrate just yet, Jaune and Weiss hurried over to the edge of the dock, peering over the edge to see it. The mech was still half-visible, slowly sinking down into the black abyss.

"You think he can get out?" Jaune asked the girl beside him who looked thoughtful for a second, leaning forward to see the canopy remain unopened.  
"Maybe, do you feel like diving in to save him?" Weiss asked, though to her surprise Jaune didn't immediately dismiss it, he instead peered closer, waiting for some sign of the metal canopy opening to reveal the familiar ginger haired gangster. "You're too nice for own good, you realise that?" she chided half-heartedly.

In their fleeting moment of regular, non life or death conversation that both revelled in, neither noticed the sudden sign of activity in the suit below, the mechanical whir of the arm moving towards the pair was what caught their ears as both turned to see the mech suit cannon aimed directly at the pair of them.  
With barely a second to react, Jaune flung himself in front of the heiress, his arms outstretched before either could say a word.

Out from behind Weiss who currently looked up to Jaune in sudden confusion and worry, Jaune saw Kasche approaching the pair of them with his hood up and dashing straight forward, his colourless eyes focused directly on to them. Jaune's reflex was to raise an arm directed at him and prepare to stop him in his tracks, a spark of confusion appeared in Jaune's eye as the sprinting form of Kasche stopped just before them and bent his knees into a squat and proceeded to leap upwards, flying over Jaune and Weiss and curling into a flip over their heads before descending down towards the water.

On his way down, Kasche lashed out with his leg when he reached the mech, one powerful kick reducing the cannon to pieces before he landed hard down upon the machine's canopy. Jaune and Weiss looked down, still taken aback by what had all occurred in a single moment.

"Hey, Roman, did you think you could convince all of us? You think you can trick these eyes?" Kasche half growled to the mech suit he now stood upon, glaring down at the man he could not even see, yet he still put as much menace in his eyes as he always did when dealing with small fish trying to fit in with the sharks. Hearing nothing but a faint groan, Kasche smirked. "Nothing? Figured. Now, sleep with the fishies." Kasche laughed before stomping upon the canopy once more and looking up to the docks.

Seeing the height, Kasche first jumped up, making sure to put as much downward force on the drowning mech as possible before lowering his arms to his side and soaring upwards as two great gushing streams of water erupted from the black slits in his arms, propelling him up towards the docks where he landed to meet the rest of his fellow fighters, lowering his hood and flashing a smile to them.

"You... It's you!" Weiss finally recognised the teal hooded teen, pulling out her rapier and poising it now directly to Kasche's throat, who raised his hands in a surrender.  
"Woah, hey, raise your hands if you just risked your vital organs to rescue a princess and her pauper." Kasche kept his hands raised as Weiss eyed him dangerously.  
"You tried to kidnap me, tried to kill Jaune, then tried to kill him again! How dare you show your face!?" Weiss bellowed, keeping her blade pressed against the assassin's throat.

Jaune placed a hand on Weiss's shoulder, keeping his eyes on Kasche who chuckled despite himself and looked Weiss up and down with menacing intention.  
"Kasche. Thank you for helping today," Jaune began as Kasche performed a mock bow, though this ceased when Jaune took a big step towards the assassin, coming face to face, ",but you are never to come near Weiss, me, or anybody else I hold close to me. Ever." he spoke threateningly, Kasche stepped back, presenting to Jaune what almost seemed like hurt in his coal black eyes.

"I don't know you, and I can't tell what goes on inside your head, but I am not going to risk the safety of my friends. If you're going after the White Fang, then I wish you luck, but we can't work together. Do you understand?" Jaune spoke coolly, as much as he would have liked to have faith in the older teen, the memories of the same shark faunus trying to kill them still remained fresh and clear.

"No, not really. I don't understand. You want to take on White Fang? We are two feathers. The things I know, the things your little friend Blake never knew about the Fang? I have it all. I can help, you know that, you've seen that! Look, look out there, we just took down Roman Torchwick-" Kasche froze when he looked out on the water, prompting Jaune to follow his gaze towards the same downed mech floating away in the darkness, and on top of it, a small stature girl dressed in an odd ensemble of brown and pink and carrying a brightly coloured parasol which she twirled, almost mockingly, at the huntsmen upon the dock.

"Damn it, ROMAN!" Kasche roared out over the water at the smiling woman who paid him little mind as she and the floating mech drifted off into darkness, Kasche couldn't prevent his teeth audibly grinding over each other as he stifled the sudden intense fury instilled within him at the sight of his prey being dragged away to safety, he had half a mind to jump in and swim after them, but he knew his true business didn't currently concern Torchwick.

"Kasche, this, whatever it was, ends now." Jaune's steely blue glare bore into Kasche as he tested a glare back, trying Jaune's conviction, their eyes lapsed into silent battle of will, headstrong blue versus furious black. Contrary to expectation, and to preference, Jaune didn't back down, Kasche sighed, conceding defeat as he turned from the pair, pulling his hood over his features and shoving his hands into his pockets before taking his leave, walking off without looking back, leaving the pair to be joined by the rest of their friends.

"Arc, you're making this difficult. Oh well, we got time." Kasche spoke to himself as he abandoned the group he ever so briefly allied with and escaped into the shadows, he needed time to think. "The anticipation. I can hardly contain myself." he chuckled before his presence dissipated into the night.

* * *

"Well, that could have gone a lot better," Yang sighed as the two teams walked the halls back to the havens that were their team dorms, careful not to get caught passing curfew by Ozpin, or worse yet, Glynda. Sun and Neptune having went their separate ways at the docks. Despite not discovering much, Nora seemed to have fun as she excitedly filled Pyrrha and Ruby in on her time at the disco, with Ren required to make compulsory adjustments. Ruby was with Blake, attempting to heighten the girl's mood, which was a rough task right about then. Roman's inclusion in the White Fang answered one question and provided about twenty or so more. "Who was that guy you were with, by the way?" Yang asked as Weiss looked down with disdain, not having liked Jaune's 'fraternization' with such a person.

"According to him, an enemy of the White Fang." Jaune mused, sceptical of the words coming from the teen who had literally been prepared to murder for the Fang.  
"So, a potential ally, maybe? He seemed pretty capable." Yang thought back to the quickly thought out action of the faunus that guaranteed Jaune and Weiss's safety.  
"No. Not him." Jaune shook his head, although the idea still lingered in his head, the notion that the vicious faunus could truly be willing to help them in their fight.  
"You've forgiven assassins in the past." Yang nodded behind to the silence stricken faunus being consoled by Ruby, Jaune shook his head profusely.  
"Would-be assassins.." Jaune spoke quietly, Yang getting the hint and deciding to drop that particular subject.

"Oh, actually, I'm meant to pass on a message to you!" Yang remembered suddenly, catching Jaune's attention as she pulled out a scroll and opened up a note she'd taken. "From the club, I actually met these two before, pieces of work, I don't know what you'd want with them but... ah! 'We want to talk, meet at the blind spot, any time except mornings. Sincerely-'"

"The Malachite twins!" Jaune finished, surprising Yang as he was indeed correct. It wasn't hard, he hadn't heard the term 'blind spot' for over a year but the significance behind it was never lost. It was a place he had stayed for a little while when he landed in rather a rough spot during his two years spent off radar, the place he had found and made the go to abode for him, and two friends he had met during his time there. He was shocked to hear from them again, he thought they had set off on two entirely different paths.

"You know them well, then?" came the voice on the other side of the nostalgic Jaune that caused his eyes to go wide as he reigned himself in before looking to his left to see the heiress walk beside him with her arms crossed, not sparing him a look after listening in to his spontaneous engagement with two girls she had never even heard of.

This was going to require some explanation.

* * *

"We found her." she spoke the words bluntly, without the elation one might expect at having recovered a missing person, rather it was more the horror of stumbling across a brutal crime. She almost couldn't bare to look at the fallen body by her feet, the light present from the shattered moon illuminated the mangled and weathered body before her.

Biologically, she was conserved, her composition ensured that, yet the touches of countless days of neglect were still clearly present upon the appearance of the supposed teen girl, dirt coated her every garment, rain water having visibly drenched the vibrancy out of her orange hair and the electrical sparks still flying from the gaping tear in her neck.

"You did!? Remain where you are, I'll have an escort sent immediately!" came the authoritative voice she had grown to respect and respond to at all occasions, having had no intention of leaving the poor girl, mechanical or not, in this state, she obediently stood waiting for the whir of overhead airships. As she inspected the lifeless green eyes upon the girl, one thought entered her mind.

"What kind of monster is responsible for this?" Winter Schnee vocalised, her disgust for a perpetrator she was yet to even learn of already burning strong within her.

* * *

**Hello there, RareNyte here! Man, over 10,000 words in this chapter alone! I guess you earned it having to wait so long :).  
Now as we advance further into season two, see how the dark forces of Beacon begin to take avid interest in this alternate Jaune Arc, hope you look forward to it.**

**To Phil Black- I apologize for not replying sooner. I want to thank you very much for your review, you obviously went the extra effort to send your clear thoughts on the story. I will sincerely try to take everything you said on board, about development, use of established variations from canon (increase of CRDL inclusion) and general plot sense. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to write that and I am glad you are enjoying this story!**

**Not just Phil Black, but all of you who review? You truly do help, both to make my day and show me where I can improve in order to better your reading experience. I hope you enjoyed this long chapter and will continue to read!**


	25. No Two The Same

**Fun fact- The relationship and chemistry between Weiss and Jaune is inspired by Rokka no Yuusha's Remy and Adlet, as well as Mine and Tatsumi from Akame ga Kill (less so). Anyway, thanks for reading!**

* * *

Jaune took a deep breath, collecting himself and honing his concentration, this was going to be difficult. Whilst he had actively admired and been grateful for the fighting prowess of his comrades, he had never considered the event of them being used against him. These two in particular, Blake Belladonna and Lie Ren.

One he had faced only once before, remembering clearly the flying black blade that nearly took his head off, yet the weapon Gambol Shroud was designed to be multi utility, meaning it was difficult to keep up with all the forms it possessed. To memory he could recall a slim katana with a sheath that doubled as a cleaver like shield that she could fight with in tandem as well as an extendible ribbon that she used to swing her gunblade to slice her enemies in three but also to propel herself if she manages to catch it on a strong enough surface.

There was also the tricky trait that was her semblance, one second you may be engaging her in hand to hand combat, the next the Blake in front of you vanishes and you feel a searing pain to the back of the neck, Jaune recalled seeing her get the best of many foes with that particular technique in the past.

Ren was another story, he was on Jaune's team, he saw first hand that Ren didn't only have his near unmatchable marksmanship with his dual SMGs that held a particularly dangerous under blade, luckily the bright pink paint on his second firearm had dulled somewhat and now actually quite suited him, but also his agility and situational awareness that got to the extent at which he would answer 'Come in' before Jaune had the chance to knock on the dorm door after hours.

In his case, Jaune didn't know his semblance. That was expected, Ren was never one to open up without cause, Jaune was fine with that, everybody had things they would rather keep concealed. Yet that didn't really help him now that they were to face off in battle.

Jaune released his breath, strapping his sword to his side and channelling a surge of power throughout his body, feeling the familiar sensation fill him entirely as he now felt able to cast and bend his ice at will, not exactly what he would call 'warming up', quite the opposite, but it was always beneficial to get yourself going before stepping out onto the battlefield.

Speaking of which, Jaune turned towards his own brother in arms that would be the one having his back during this fight. The partner in question didn't seem exceedingly interested in his mental preparation, instead opting to hoist his weapon with a dastardly grin, clearly picturing and looking forward to smashing his opponents with his mammoth proportioned mace.

"Cardin, you ready?" Jaune asked, aware of the time before the battle quickly drawing to a close, the silver armoured teen gave his mace one last practice swing, said practice swing resulting in the destruction of a nearby table leg, before turning to Jaune with a competitive smirk and hauled the massive weapon over his shoulder.  
"You know it. Just try not to get ground into a snowcone, all right?" Cardin teased before taking the lead, striding out towards the battle field, Jaune shook his head in mild amusement before following on.

Jaune instantly shielded his eyes from the bright lights that met the unlikely pair, once their eyes adjusted, they caught sight of two black shapes from the other end of the floor approaching them. Jaune readied his stance immediately as the two shapes of Blake and Ren became abundantly clear opposite them. Cardin laughed heartily,  
"Okay, Little Bow Creep and Itsy Bitsy Dyed-Hair. Time for the big bad wolf to teach you two-" Cardin's clever jeers were interrupted by the impact of a soaring gunblade smacking him square in the forehead, sending him reeling backwards.

Not denying the interruption's hilarity, Jaune stepped in to help his comrade, the ice already present beneath the soles of his shoes to scurry ahead of Cardin and stopping with his back against his in order to grind him to a halt. Cardin let out an aggressive snarl, disregarding the teen behind him as he began to approach his enemies once more.

"Interrupt my punchline, will you?" Cardin grumbled to himself as Jaune rolled his eyes, knowing that the same exact approach would only result in Cardin making the enemy's only casualty their tired throwing arm. Jaune decided to make use of his partner's nature, allowing Cardin to stride angrily over to Blake and Ren as a distraction as Jaune made use of the dark environment, drifting around the edges of the area and skating silently as he crept closer to the enemies who were distracted by Cardin's headstrong charge.

As the snow haired huntsman approached, however, he looked up to notice Blake Belladonna now standing alone, her partner missing all of a sudden as Jaune raised an eyebrow, the thoughts not clicking in his head yet as a pair of rose eyes made their way behind him. Jaune came to a standstill when he finally noticed the presence, all a second from too late as he flung himself backwards to dodge the aura charged high kick that planted itself directly where Jaune had been heading just a moment earlier.

"Tsk, ninja, forgot." Jaune chided himself as Ren nodded, expecting his leader to keep that in mind for their fight. Jaune didn't intend to allow Ren time to spring another attack, drawing his sword and propelling himself forwards, Jaune included a spin as he skated over, allowing momentum for his swing as it sliced the air where Lie Ren had been when he had started the swing.

It would seem reflexes were to be added to the list of Jaune's cunning culinary professional's list of talents as the olive garbed huntsman lashed out with a low kick from where had knelt to avoid the blade swinging overhead, coming into contact with his leader's chest and sending him sliding backwards before he planted his heirloom sword into the floor, stopping him still.

Deciding to play a little dirty, not confident that a fight between Blake and Cardin alone could last longer than five seconds, Jaune placed his left hand to the ground and channelled his power, causing an icy coating to overcome the floor leading from Jaune to the area surrounding his nimble opponent, leaving him directly in the centre of it.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy." Ren spoke calmly, raising his dual SMGs toward his hooded opponent before opening fire, Jaune reflexively raised his left arm and a gauntlet of ice appeared upon it, forming to block the incoming hailstorm as Jaune covered his face, temporarily compromising his vision, yet a moment was all that was needed. Jaune opened his eyes to see Ren no longer in the middle, now flying straight towards Jaune with his left leg about to slam down upon him like a juggernaut.

Jaune raised his ice coated hand to meet the impact head on, causing the make shift shield to shatter into a hundred pieces and Jaune to recoil back in pain as Ren landed directly in front of him, drawing his two firearms once more, but this time raising them so the blades pointed down towards Jaune before standing tall to bring them down upon him.

Jaune recovered in time to raise his sword to parry the two smaller blades, essentially locking the two fighters in a standstill as neither one seemed to budge. Jaune, however, had other ideas in mind. Ren's eyes grew wide with alarm as ice began to overcome the hilt of Jaune's sword, taking over the weapon entirely before the ice began to spread to Ren's weapons as well.

"Tsk, ice caster, temporarily forgot." Ren mimicked as Jaune frowned, Ren's simple title sounding a lot cooler than Jaune's before Ren took action, retracting his weapons into his larger than imagination sleeves and pulling back to thrust his palm into Jaune's chest. Seeing Cardin Winchester get closer and closer to Blake Belladonna who did not look like humouring his nursery rhyme nicknames any further, however, Jaune was getting impatient.

Remembering back to the technique he had practised with Pyrhha when he had known her as 'Flame Girl', Jaune utilised the ice beneath the soles of his trainers, watching Ren's movements for the opportune moment, just as he released his forearm, aiming for Jaune's chestplate, that's when he made a swerved down and used the lack of friction between him and the ground to swivel behind Ren in the blink of an eye.

"Take a minute to cool off." Jaune uttered before chopping his team member in the back with his ice hardened hand, causing him to splutter before collapsing to his knees, the fight temporarily knocked out of him as he tried to regain his breath. Seeing his window, Jaune skated off towards his original destination, Miss Belladonna.  
Unluckily for him, his mace wielding partner was currently charging towards her without the slightest hint of reck.

Blake seemed ready to step back to dodge a downward swing from the mace and counter by stomping the metal head into the ground and leaning in to unleash a killer slash with her unsheathed katana, judging by the way she fingered her weapon and watched Cardin's arms. A considerably useful talent he had picked up when working as a sellsword was predicting enemy attacks when he was given the luxury of being able to focus, this wasn't usually an option in one and one as he would never have a chance to analyse, except this wasn't one on one.

Mentally apologizing in advance, Jaune skated over to the side behind Blake and looked for Cardin's advance, as expected he lifted his sizeable weapon into the air in hopes to bring it down with all his might upon the supposedly unsuspecting girl. Knowing better than to think she'd truly be taken off guard, Jaune took matters into his hands, silently closing the distance between himself and the faunus and barging into her with his right shoulder.

Blake hadn't seen him coming, losing her balance as she toppled forward, straight into the path of Cardin's wrath as the mace head smashed into her chest, sending her reeling to the ground. The hit was hard and the sound of the impact was toe curling, but Blake wasn't out for the count just yet. Lifting her head from where she now lay prone, she fixed a cocky Cardin with a predatory glare.

Before Jaune could warn him, he found his mouth sealed and sword arm restrained as he felt a familiar presence behind him, Jaune flicked his eyes back in alarm.  
"Two on one isn't very fair." came the soft threatening tone of Lie Ren, having recovered from Jaune's back strike quicker than expected as Cardin let out a mocking jeer  
"Hah! Huffing and puffing time!" he laughed as Jaune struggled in Ren's formidable grasp, sensing the danger ahead as he looked to his partner.

Something that completely took Jaune off guard was not in fact Ren's hold, but what Cardin did next, after lifting his mace once more to presumably fall into Blake's counter trap, his eye wandered, if only for a second, to Jaune's, and he winked. Initially Jaune was dumbstruck, but discarded any doubt and did his best to nod as Cardin's returned to his apparently downed foe.

Blake peered closely, ready to roll over and hack at the armoured teens legs the moment he swung down, embedding his mace into the ground and immobilising him, and he seemed to be about to follow through completely on her suspicions, acting as carelessly as he was before. He wielded his mace into the air like a beast and adjusted his stance, about to bring it down with everything he had- then he switched course and turned in the opposite direction.

Jaune thrust his head backwards, catching Ren in the chin and causing his hold on Jaune to slacken as the snow haired boy took full advantage, ducking down just in time before Cardin's mace swung overhead, making contact with the ninja like huntsman in training square in the face, hitting with enough force to simultaneously send him careening backwards in a tumble as well as make Jaune worry for the facial appearance Nora had taken quite a liking to.

Recovering from her surprise at the feint manoeuvre, something she would have never expected from the likes of Cardin, and took her chance to roll away from the two, standing herself up about a metre away and changing her katana to its pistol form, bending back the blade and aiming for Cardin's torso before opening fire. Cardin winced as he felt the first shots connect but his instincts kicked in and he took his mace and spun it is his grip, parrying the incoming bullets coming from Blake.

Stepping in, Jaune skated forwards, first off firing a spike of ice towards his faunus target who easily tilted her head to the side, it passing harmlessly as Jaune followed up by pulling out his sword and spinning into a slash as they drew closer, surprisingly he managed to make contact rather easily, more surprisingly, the Blake he had just cut instantly dissipated into nothing, Jaune realising his mistake too late as a force from behind him sent him tumbling to the ground.

Jaune managed to roll to his feet, looking back to see the real form of Blake now make use of her katana and sheathe once more, leaping towards Jaune with the intent to finish him off. Without any time to devise a counter, Jaune was left to the mercy of chance, or rather in this case, the larger than life bully who came out of nowhere to stand in front of the defenceless hooded teen, taking on Blake's blades with the shaft of his mace.

"Hey moron, what did I tell you about snowcones?!" growled Cardin as he struggled to hold against Blake's two weapons with his own. Jaune chuckled, getting to his knees and regaining his balance. With an idea of how to finish this, Jaune placed both hands onto the floor of the battlefield and channelled his power, two paths of ice extending from his hands, curving around Cardin and converging at the now grounded Blake.

The faunus in question could do little as Cardin's brute strength kept her from escaping the sword lock, the ice beside her reaching her feet, forming over them before stretching up her legs to her thighs, immobilising her lower half entirely. Cardin pulled back from the lock with an impressed grin as he turned backwards to pat Jaune on the shoulder.

"Nice work, now what? I could knock the lights out of her with my mace or we could find a tophat and scarf and you can turn her into a snowman, or oh-oh I got it! We take her and- Oomph!" Cardin fell back, having forgotten that Blake could still move her arms well enough to send her pistol flying at the huntsman's face one last time before a voice called out.

"All right, that ends the match. Blake is immobilised and her partner Ren's aura has fallen into the red. Impressive work, all of you. Though next time, perhaps keep the mockery to a minimum? As you can see, it is not very effective in battle." Glynda announced as the regular room lights came back on, illuminating the stands that held rows of entertained spectators, including the remaining members of team Pyro Black, Ruby and Yang peering in close to check if Blake could get out of the ice and Pyrrha sitting silently impressed at the boy she met on the training grounds, having known he'd be a unique fighter.

On the Lavender White side, Nora was torn, her leader and good friend, Jaune, had won a match! However on the flipside of that, that meant that Ren had lost, Ren!  
"Oh conflicting jubilation and sorrow!" Nora cried as she remained unsure what to feel, laying her head in her hands. The heiress beside her, however, didn't have as much trouble as she let slip a proud smile and formed a small victory fist bump to herself.

"Well, we have time for approximately one more match, and today is doubles from alternative teams, so we will need four more volunteers, please!" Glynda addressed the audience, seeing no excess of volunteers until a single hand was raised into the air, that belonging to a boy Jaune was not familiar with, he spoke in a bored manner  
"We'll do it." he pointed his thumb at the dark skinned girl beside him who seemed to be less than enthused at being dragged into a fight with the silver haired teen clad in black and metallic battle wear.

"Very well, Mercury and, Emerald, correct? You two are both from the same team, correct? So if we may have two more volunteers, we can begin!" Glynda spoke hopefully, turning an eye to the reluctant crowd before the boy now known as Mercury cleared his throat, garnering back the professor's attention as he spoke.  
"Actually, if I may make a request. How about him?" Mercury pointed down to the battlefield with a barley concealed smirk.

"Oh yeah? You want a beating, pretty boy?!" Cardin yelled back, offended at Mercury's flippant challenge as the silver haired teen sighed, shaking his head.  
"Not you," he stated, annoyed. His finger adjusting to point towards the person who the entire room had already suspected he actually had meant, clad in a dark, armoured hoodie with lavender sleeves. "You." Jaune narrowed his eyes, getting an all but friendly vibe from the challenging teen.

"Sure, why not?" Jaune answered with suspicion evident in his eyes, he hadn't relied too much on his power during that last match and had some energy to spare after all. He also felt the urge to find out what the hell it was that rubbed him the wrong way about this guy. Mercury begun to make his way down when Glynda spoke up.  
"Wait, we still require another volunteer to mix the teams." Glynda advised as a candidate made herself known.

"I assume his partner will do?" Weiss had stood herself up immediately, sending a challenging look of her own towards the teen who's attitude towards Jaune had resulted in a scowl from the heiress as she readied her rapier, ready to defend her precious friend from whatever may come their way, not making a realization that would have made her re think her actions until a voice from below called her out.

"Uh, Weiss? You realise that means I'll be fighting you, right?" Jaune informed her, cupping his hands over his mouth as Weiss went completely stiff, her irises growing smaller as what he said just sank in. Mercury couldn't stifle a chuckle as Weiss fixed him with an intensive glare before turning to Professor Goodwitch in order to rectify her hasty mistake.

"Wonderful. We will start immediately then!" Glynda announced before Weiss even had a chance to open her mouth, causing her to protest helplessly as Mercury reached his hand over and laid it upon her shoulder, causing her to recoil back upon contact as Jaune's eyes narrowed from below on the battlefield as his decision was made.

"Emerald, right? How about you and I partner up for this one?" Jaune addressed the mint green haired girl beside Mercury in the white and green top and undershirt.  
The girl in question turned her red eyed gaze to the silver haired boy beside her who replied with an affirmative nod, Emerald then turned back to Jaune, smiling.  
"Of course, I'd be happy to!" she accepted joyously, Jaune's request being understood as rather 'I want to partner with you so I get to wipe the smirk off of your silver haired friend'.

* * *

"Okay, I'm good at trapping the enemy, skating around quickly, slashing them with my sword, punching them with ice, blasting them with ice and a whole bunch of other ice stuff. You?" Jaune went over his basic abilities across from his newly acquired partner who was checking over her namesake coloured pair of pistols before turning around to reply.

"Oh, I knew your abilities were cool! I'm not that special, I just have these old things," she presented her two weapons modestly before converting them both to a sort of blade he remember Ren talking about when telling Jaune about the original ideas for his weapon, kusarigama as Jaune recalled. "I can handle myself pretty well with these, these chains can also be used to catch people if they're not careful!" she added jokingly, Jaune laughing along, but for some reason he didn't feel exactly right having pleasant conversation with this girl yet he couldn't place his finger on exactly why.

He couldn't help but notice that she decided not to mention her semblance as she strapped her weapons to her back before beginning to walk back to the assigned battle space, Jaune taking yet another breath, it wasn't just the case of taking part in two battles one after the other, but the participants. If the thought of Weiss being alone with that guy wasn't enough, she would be fighting with him, _against _Jaune.

"Hey, are you coming?" Emerald turned back to him, breaking Jaune out of his thoughts as he turned to his alternate partner as she leaned over with a playful smirk. Jaune couldn't avoid noticing a certain aspect of her form as her thinly veiling green undershirt left less to the imagination as he would have preferred, turning his head to the side upon noticing it.

"Right, let's go." Jaune dismissed his distractions before turning to follow her out as she offered him one last jovial grin, both beginning to walk out to the floor in line with each other as the bright lights shined down upon them once more before their new enemies revealed themselves, Mercury instantly eyeing up Jaune as he strode over to his side of the circular battle floor.

One Weiss Schnee did not seem as eager, still reeling from the shock at her own act, she hesitantly walked over to the same side as Mercury, equipping her rapier before turning to Jaune with a look that screamed 'what do we do?!' as the snow haired boy shrugged with wide eyes before looking over to the silver haired team mate of hers before hitting his fist against his palm in realization.

As discreetly as possible, which was not very discreet at all, Jaune pointed over to Mercury then himself, then to Weiss then Emerald before raising a questioning thumbs up to Weiss who nodded quickly in agreement. Unknown to them, Emerald and Mercury had their own silent exchange to themselves, in a manner much more discreet than Jaune and Weiss's conversation that was understood by nearly everybody in the room, Ren and Blake shaking their heads at the lack of discretion.

"Okay, let's go!" Jaune turned to Emerald, not willing to risk having to face Weiss, before summoning the ice beneath his soles and speeding straight for Mercury, the silver haired teen seeing this move coming from a mile away and lying in wait, Jaune knew this, however, and decided to change things up. Holding his sword behind his back and summoning his ice to extend the reach of his blade as he approached the teen who simply held his ground.

Just before coming within his usual striking range, Jaune skidded into a spin. Mercury raising an eyebrow as Jaune followed through by swinging his sword with the blade twice its usual range, its icy extension coming round to Mercury who waited until the last moment to act.

Jaune's momentum came to a complete stop, Jaune looked up to see the side of his blade held in mid air as Mercury stood before him, blocking his strike with a single leg as he let slip a snigger before he leapt off of the ground with his standing leg and lashed out against the ice blade, shattering it into pieces as Jaune slid back to a safe distance, inspecting his sword closely, had he not made his ice strong enough?

It was then that Jaune contemplated whether or not leaving his leather jacket from Weiss back at the dorm really was the best idea. He figured that if it was just a sparring match, the power boost he received from the dust lined garment would not be necessary, that and the fact that it would be for the best if he didn't broadcast his abilities carelessly.

His enemy right now, however, may just have justified the need for a little boost going by how easily he had overpowered his ice. Jaune turned to Mercury's impromptu partner who shrugged her shoulders at Jaune before raising her rapier in alarm to avoid a kick by Emerald who had also begun her attack on the heiress. Deciding to focus on his own opponent for now, Jaune turned back to Mercury, considering his options.

Looking down at his opponent's feet that had so easily blocked his sword, he decided to take them out of the equation. Jaune raised his unarmed hand towards Mercury, releasing two blasts of frost that connected with the silver haired teen's feet, instantly forming solid ice around both of his visible weapons as Mercury let out a mocking sigh.

Testing his bluff, Jaune closed his distance, thrusting his sword towards his target's chest who barely flinched. Mercury let out a grunt as a blast sounded from the ice coating his legs, the shots fired from his boots breaking his ice cold confines just in time as he kicked upwards, knocking Jaune's sword directly out of his hands and prepared to lash out with his other leg.

What Mercury did not know was that Jaune had been watching him as he approached and he saw the arrogant glint in the black suited teen's eyes, so when his sword was kicked from his grasp Jaune didn't hesitate before coating his elbow in hard ice and proceeding to connect it with Mercury's face, a satisfying crack resounding as he stumbled backwards from the impact.

Mercury stabilised himself, placing one foot backwards before raising his head, smile still annoyingly present as he tilted his head, Jaune's move exceeding his expectations. Instead of launching a counter as Jaune expected, Mercury sent a look over to the mint haired huntress who was currently engaging the heiress in typical swordplay, parrying her rapier thrusts with her firearm's blades before curling back and attempting to fire off shots that would either be deflected by the heiress or tactically dodged by the girl herself.

Letting out a whistle, Emerald's red eyes strayed and met Mercury's black, mute conversation occurring for just a second before Mercury sprinted away from Jaune, making a bee line for his everyday partner, leaving a confused Jaune in his wake as Mercury approached his partner for the day and called out to her,  
"Weiss, switch! Why don't you give the snowman a try and I'll handle her?" Mercury 'suggested' before sending a kick towards Emerald, the dark skinned huntress cartwheeling out of the way as Mercury took Weiss's place.

"But wait! That means I have to-" Weiss turned around slowly, seeing the familiar hooded teen standing a few metres opposite her, armed with his sword, making eye contact as both simultaneously lost any idea on how to proceed. The audience in the stands almost unanimously sighed, having seen this coming as Glynda coughed,  
"Ah-hem. The fight is ongoing, students." She instructed sternly as Jaune and Weiss stood stuck to the spot, unsure what to do.

"_Psst, do you think you can beat Mercury?" _Weiss whispered to him, not as secretly as she may have thought as Jaune pondered that, from what he saw so far, Mercury didn't seem to be taking this too seriously. The blow to his face would surely have done a deal to his aura yet he remained completely unfazed, simply smirking at the pain. Boy did Jaune hate that smirk.

_"Maybe. Why? What're you thinking?" _Jaune returned in the same tone of voice, the two of them beginning to circle one another whilst they conversed, attempting to make it at least appear like they were about to attack each other, not that a single person watching from the stands bought the act one bit, that is.  
Weiss looked from side to side, devising something until she nodded affirmatively, looking up to Jaune and whispering softly to him her plan.

_"Really? You think that'll work?"_ Jaune asked, the plan seeming like a farce at best. Weiss shrugged in ignorance, Jaune sighed, supposing it was their only plan.  
"Okay, though it pains me. I shall have to defeat you, Weiss Schnee!" Jaune bellowed, the crowd in the stands instantly sceptical as Weiss performed a mock expression of shock.

"*Gasp*. Very well then! I will not hold back, you understand?!" Weiss retorted, drawing her rapier against Jaune with a dramatic pose, looking ready to strike.  
"Then neither shall I! Witness as I unleash upon you the technique I honed over all the years I spent training... on an island, somewhere. Behold!" Jaune announced before summoning something he had only done accidentally before when angry at Neptune.

A humble, black cloud appeared in the airspace above Weiss. Causing the entire audience, who were much more interested in seeing how their little façade would pan out, not believing it for a second but finding it oddly entertaining.

"No!" Weiss shrieked, holding her hands over her head protectively as she shut her eyes from what she was trying to convey as terror incarnated, the fearsome black cloud... of death, or that was the name she settled on in her head. "Not the black cloud of death! Please, anything but that. Anything!" Weiss 'begged', falling to her knees in front of Jaune.

A loud crunching noise was heard from the stands as Nora was off of her seat, shovelling popcorn into her mouth, crunching it excitedly as she revelled in what she saw.  
"So much _drama!_" she enthused as she took another mouthful, her eyes glued to the scene playing out in front of her with undivided interest.

"Sorry, Weiss, this is the end for you." Jaune raised a dramatic hand as on cue, hell was unleashed, hell in the form of a single white snowflake falling from the cloud and daintily floating down, twirling harmlessly in the air before it landed softly upon Weiss's head, making not a noise as it dissolved in her hair, turning into nothing.  
"Noo! I am slain." Weiss fell to the ground, motionless, as Glynda Goodwitch raised a highly suspicious eyebrow.

"Miss Schnee, your aura is still visibly in the green. Please resume the fight." She chided, adjusting her glasses as Jaune cleared his throat before speaking up.  
"It's a special technique, professor. It defeats enemies without affecting aura whatsoever." Jaune 'explained', Glynda narrowed her eyes dangerously.  
"Even if that were-" she began to return.

"It's a _very _special technique." He interrupted hastily, knowing he couldn't in a million years convince the astute professor but still he had to try and save some face.  
"Anyway, she is clearly no longer fit to fight, so-" Jaune indicated to the fallen form of Weiss Schnee, the girl sneaking an eye open to look around to check on the battle.  
"-I should focus on finishing this by helping my partner beat- Oh." Jaune turned to see his mint haired partner smiling next to a similarly collapsed Mercury.

"Already done! Thanks for softening him up!" Emerald expressed as the audience's eyes all turned to see Mercury's aura dipped into the red, the spectators having been too distracted by the soap opera by Weiss and Jaune to pay attention to the fight between the two other partners, surprised to see him defeated so quickly. Glynda shook her head, feeling mentally weary after giving up on having a fair match long ago, calling the match.

"Jaune and Emerald win, good-, well, good work Emerald." Glynda praised as Jaune sweat dropped, scratching the back of his head bashfully as Nora was once again distressed, wishing that for once today her team would all be on the same team so she knew whether or not to be happy or sad at the end of that fight.  
Ren patted her on the shoulder in attempt to soothe her, though his mind was elsewhere, instead thinking of Emerald and Mercury, something about them inspiring caution in the black haired teen as he remained suspicious of Mercury's desire to fight Jaune out of the blue.

As Jaune assisted Weiss to her feet, Ren kept an eye on the retreating forms of Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black. He would continue to keep an active eye on the two of them, as he would any supposed danger to his team mates and friends.

* * *

"So, where were we? Talking about the hopes for the future? Things to look forward to in the present?" Jaune questioned as he sat perched on his bed, Weiss sitting on her bed with her knees bent on the covers, listening intently. As did the forms of Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, the bubbly girl preparing another batch of popcorn in preparation and Ren nodding encouragingly at him, letting him know it was all right to divulge. "Right, the past it is then..." Jaune trailed off.

After the fight, team Lavender White had reconvened back at the dorm room where Weiss had instantly requested for Jaune to elaborate upon his suddenly revealed connection with the Malachite twins, two contacts of Junior that had faced off against Yang when they had come to blows at his nightclub. Nora and Ren were predictably intrigued also, and thus it was time for his show and tell.

"Jaune, I uh, know we asked and all," Nora started, looking surprisingly conscious of herself despite her usual nature, catching Jaune's interest as she seemed suddenly hesitant, avoiding Jaune's eye as even Ren looked surprised. "But if you want to keep this between just you and Weiss at first, that's okay with us, really! I don't want to force you or anything," Nora spoke, Ren nodding in agreement before a smile broke out on Jaune's face.

"You're my team, guys. I know I may have kept some secrets in the past," his eyes averted downwards at that, Weiss too feeling some guilt over her imposed secrecy on his part, ", but that was a mistake. I trust you, Nora. You too, Ren." Jaune assured them, Nora seemed like a great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, reciprocating Jaune's smile with an even happier one, Ren too offering a gleeful nod as Jaune's team prepared to listen.

"All right then, but first, Weiss," Jaune looked up, meeting her gaze he reached forward and laid a hand upon her knee meaningfully as she looked to him, confused.  
"The situation I got into in those two years is my own fault, I chickened out about telling my family and I paid the price. I don't want you to feel guilty, because I know you are gonna and I don't want to see you hurt." he pressed, seeing the results of her guilt when he first came to Beacon and found her very unwilling to partner up with him again, Jaune didn't want to take on another giant scorpion to get through to her again.

Weiss didn't say anything, but she nodded slowly, feelings of immediate concern entering her mind, the reality of what Jaune must have gone through in those two years had always been a mystery to her, yet now she feared what she may find out, feeling something stir in her heart as the idea of him suffering became very real. Jaune frowned at her response, but continued on regardless.

"This happened about a year in, in January. I had been getting around with money from odd jobs, nothing criminal, more sort of... unlicensed work, freelance is what I guess you'd call it, when I got a message from an associate of that Junior guy. Apparently they had made a deal with another guy who turned out to be a bad egg and they wanted him forced out the city without signs of their involvement, credibility and that, you know? They wanted a specialist, not a hired gun that could easily be seen as one of Junior's men, and they had heard of me. In the message I was told the description and day to day duties of one Mister B. Mann..."

* * *

**One Year Earlier**

In the icy, dark recesses of January Vale, the sounds of the two sisters' heels clicking against the street surfaces were muffled by the snowfall, as were the thunderous footsteps of about a dozen henchman lead by a wrinkled fiend in a dastardly black business suit. The gasps and pants of the two girls were all the words spoken as they turned into yet another alleyway, wide enough for the two of them but not for the mass following them swiftly behind, confident in its capability to give them some time.

"Melanie, can we get there from here?" the younger sister in the scarlet red combat dress decorated with various newspaper articles, her luminescent eyes shining worried through the darkness as the elder sister caught her breath, nodding her head with her hands on her knees.

"Probably, let's go, Miltia." the older sister with the shoulder falling locks of black above a face with features identical to the girl in red, yet a more sharp and cold expression present in her similarly green eyes. Hearing the distant bellows of the pursuing men, the two sisters ended their fleeting rest and set off again into the dark shrouds of the night, Melanie taking the lead as she attempted to navigate through the black abyss that were the lampless alleyways.

It was a life or eternal suffering situation, Melanie and Miltia were the best two for one in their line of work, that line being subservience to the scum of the streets to protect them from the bigger and stronger scum, in simpleton's terms, bodyguards. They were not owned by anybody, they never would be they were currently employed under Junior but the minute he lost his place, became too troublesome or got taken out the twins were out of there.

The middle option had definitely come to fruition, and potentially the third if the sisters got their hands on him. In their boss's desire for a pedestal in the underworld, he had to get in with the demons, one of which went by the name Mister B. Mann. True to his aforementioned 'demon' title, this man was a disease on the underworld, spreading and infecting every dark corner with paid men ambushing the innocent and helpless, capturing young women for 'merchandising' and children for little pairs of extra hands at his warehouses.

His targets weren't only the pure or the boys in blue, either. This man made a known habit of usurping small time crooks and making their illegitimate business a branch of his own criminal brand. Before he could be dealt with by the higher end crooks of the city he had grown powerful enough to oppose even them, so they let B. Mann go about his ways without hindrance.

Junior had received a notice from one of the B. Mann's underlings that he was interested in a partnership, Melanie remembered well the sceptical look she had shot Miltia at that point, "partnership" in this case meant you either become his hand puppet who thinks they are in control, or you resist and get 'accident-ed' once the business is handed over. Their hopeful boss at this point should have realised this and shut the messenger down.

"Excellent! What time can he meet with me?" Junior had said, Melanie sighed at the sheer memory of it. As expected, B. Mann was now the string puller of the organization, he did help locate potential steals and useful contacts, but as was the nature of luck, he made sure to restore the balance.

Income, exports, men, weapons, anything B. Mann wanted, he got on a platinum platter. What caught his eye most, however, were two beautiful young ladies working for his new lap dog. As can be deduced, Melanie and Miltia were in trouble. The B. Mann wanted them, for what exact purpose he didn't state, but it was more likely not something befitting trained mercenaries.

Without much despair at leaving the loving care of one buffoon, Junior, the twins made a run for it. Had they expected the B. Mann to have men watching the club? No. Had they regretted their hasty decision to become runaways? Sorely so.

Now they hurried through the dimly lit streets, headed towards the one safe haven they knew of, a place not Junior nor B. Mann nor any other being than the sisters knew of. Some place safe they could lay low until they figured out what they were going to do next.

Familiarity began to kick in as Miltia noticed the same dead end they approached, to anybody else the end of the road, but to them a secret within. As Melanie came up to it, she rose her arm towards the bricks and began to walk forwards, the usual dead focus in her eyes as changes began to occur.

Her form began to vibrate and blur all at once, the older sister stepping forward and her arm passing straight through the brick red barrier before her, Miltia smirked at her sister's semblance, still outclassing any others that she had seen to date.  
Phasing, the ability to make parts of herself entirely intangible.

It took a lot of focus, however, and thus she opted not to use it in combat until she was sure she wouldn't accidentally make her feet fall through the floor accidentally. In order not to when walking through something entirely, Melanie had to make sure she went one leg at a time, temporarily keeping one on the ground and one intangible then vice versa.

"Miltia, come on!" Melanie told her little sister with only her top half left on the little sister's side of the wall, Miltia took her elder sister's hand and allowed her time to adjust, Melanie's selection for what was phased including whatever she came into contact with, which was why her clothes remained on during the semblance's activity.

A few seconds more and Miltia, too, shook into a blurry image as the fleeting shapes of the two sisters disappeared into the solid wall, out of sight as the sound of many a footstep came to a halt as a dozen or so men in black came to a halt at the other end of the street, all wondering where the hell those two girls had gotten to.

* * *

Melanie and Miltia Malachite let out a mutual sigh of relief as they came across their own secluded space, what was before a music studio for a popular rock band 'The Dust Shop Boys' that had been raided by rabid fans, causing the band to re locate and the area forgotten about it following construction work that had mistakenly sealed it off, was now their own personal safe haven.

With the recording studio left mostly unused by the two girls, the luxury en suite, grand master bedrooms and luxurious red Corinthian leathered lounge with it's entertainment set and fireplace was more than enough to satisfy the two girls as they strode tiredly into the glamorous abode.

With their staggering heels clicking against the wooden panel floors and a mentally weary Melanie supporting herself on the gold trimmed walls, the semblance taking a considerable amount out of her as Miltia took the liberty to sit her down on the deep red sofa facing the faux fireplace that hid a functioning heater.

"I'm fine, Miltia!" Melanie assured, annoyed at the fuss over what was to her little more than a small headache, Miltia frowned before relenting and allowing her older sister to rest on the sofa as she turned away, thoughts of their next steps entering her mind and chasing each other in circles, where to go and what to do coming up blank.

"We'll figure it out, okay?" Melanie spoke suddenly, surprising the younger sister who turned back to her part time carer who had deduced exactly what had been troubling her. Melanie wasn't just saying that to ease her sister, somehow the two had managed to avoid daggers to their throats on a number of occasions that would make one question if there truly was someone high up above looking out for them.

"Wow, kickin' pad, girls." The sisters froze as a voice echoed off of the studio walls, the sound of leather against wood reverberating to them as the looming shadow of a tall figure appeared in the hall from the light of the fireplace. As it turned the corner, the full sight of the man greeted the girls. A greying man of a stick like proportion, his bones coated by a deathly black three piece suit, a grin veiling no malice stretched from ear to ear as he approached the two girls.

"Pad, right? That's what you kids call them? Ooh, 'Knightlife', my favourite." The barely human figure inspected the shelves of vinyl and CDs to his right, fingering them daintily as Melanie got to her feet, fixing the being with a fearful yet headstrong glare as she placed one foot ahead of the other, ready to fight.

"Mister B. Mann, we don't want to fight you. Leave." Miltia spoke up, usually the more respectful of the twins, she was no pushover, this man had intruded their closest resemblance to a home. The B. Mann chortled in response, only serving to anger the sisters further as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket before sticking it into his teeth and lighting it up, still laughing.

"No,but you do want to screw me. Not in that way, in that case I'd be perfectly happy, I mean you two mischievous rascals have been planning this for a while, haven't you?" The B. Mann tutted, shaking his head and pointing at them his cigarette, "I had eyes on you at the club, you don't think I'd have someone watching my favourite little girls?" he let out another chuckle as he began to pace towards the sisters.

"The 'blind spot', is that what you called it? Oh yes, did I mention I had ears on you as well? At first I was confused when you'd use that term when chit chatting in the night club so I had you followed. You always end up disappearing round the same dead end, so they said. So I researched the area and found this little abandoned suite, I'm telling you, girls, nice choice, seriously. Sweet alternate entrance on the roof as well, very scenic." He whistled as Miltia equipped a pair of devil red claws, eyeing the suited man dangerously.

Miltia was fully prepared to pounce upon the man, but they didn't yet know how he intended to fight back, he hadn't revealed any kind of weapon, having severe distaste at the idea of doing his own dirty work as long as they'd known him.

The elder sister, however, had apparently waited long enough and had sprung forwards, lashing out with her left heel, closing in on the suited man who stood his ground firmly, Melanie didn't let this distract her and followed through on her attack.

At the last second before impact, the B. Mann took a step back, thrusting his sleeved arm to the right as a cold, silver chain slithered out from his shirt. The fiend took either end in each hand and coiled around Melanie before she could react, casting it over her head and around her neck, pulling it tight.

"Melanie! Let her go!" Miltia cried as she lashed forward with her ruby razors, stopping short when her path was blocked by the struggling form of Melanie, currently being held hostage by the notorious Mister Mann.

"Whoa- You don't want to hurt your own sister, right!" he exclaimed incredulously as Melanie squirmed in his all but pleasant hold, her younger sister's eyes of rage currently boring into the man holding her captive.

"Now, I'm going to take her back home now, all right? You just stay here and sit quietly, you know what will happen to your precious twin, don't you? Of course you do, now-" The man's declaration was cut short as a sudden realisation came upon him, something you don't notice unless it was changed severely, at a rate reasoning could not explain clearly.

"Is it... cold for you guys? Maybe the AC was also busted in-" Mister B. Mann was again cut short as a solid, ice coated fist made its way into the man's lower back, his grating groan filling the room as Melanie saw her chance to concentrate.

The girl in the man's grasp became a sudden blur as she passed through the silver chain before once again materialising and delivering a cracking kick to Mr B.'s left shin, crippling him and sending him reeling towards gravity.

"Who the fu-?!" The downed gangster craned his head to see the hooded boy of around sixteen raise a hand towards the older man's face, an icy blue aura emitting from him for a split second before the man's head was now encased in the frosty block.

Losing his strength, the man fell to his side, the ice coating his head shattering and resulting in a concussion as he now lay motionless, curled up upon the carpet.

The hooded teen now pulled back his hood and raised his eyes to meet the occupants of the room, specifically the two girls he had just helped avoid a potential kidnapping. A painful silence filling the room as it every crook of the music studio was designed for recording.

The two sisters exchanged a long look, seemingly empty and meaningless to all but them, the sheer movements of their eyes was enough to clue each other in on how each other felt about what to do next.

They seemed to ponder the hooded teen around their age before them as Melanie subsequently took the first step, striding towards the hooded figure with unfalteringly direct eye contact, her piercing green versus his cold blue.

"Name." she stated plainly, the bluntness of the enquiry taking the hooded teen a second to register as he searched for a response, by now he had taken many work 'pseudonyms', the Arc name, whilst impressive in the world of huntsman and huntresses, was of no help to him if he was to keep up incoming jobs.

"Jack." He answered, looking between the two carefully. Protecting them wasn't exactly the objective he'd been set, he just saw the men chasing the two girls and had to run, catching sight of a very particular individual lurking upon rooftops.

All in all, he supposed if Mann was down then all was well. His job was nearly done, hard part over.

Then why? Why, when he found himself under the scrutinizing glare of the silver dressed girl opposite him and the curious glances of the oddly dressed younger lass, did he feel as if the mission was about to get a whole lot more complicated?

* * *

**Hello, RareNyte here! This is earlier than usual right? I also have some news! Chapters from now onwards, whenever they may come out, will now be LONGER! Usually before I tried to get around 4,000 words a chapter but now I aim to include around 8,000 to 10,000 words like this chapter and the last so you can spend EVEN MORE TIME wasting your precious hours on this story!**

**Anyway, I would like to thank some people for keeping me going through the days of writing real quick.**

**Dracohalo117- Thank you so much for your continued support! I hope you know I truly appreciate your feedback, it also puts a smile on my face to see your opinion of the chapters! Again, thanks so much! :D**

**adwerte- Thanks and well, here you are! :)**

**ExplodingKnuckler- I see you are new and like to review, always a nice combo, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!**

**Pyro Daemona- It's always nice to know someone is enjoying what you do, and you remind me of just that. Thank you so much! :)**

**VibeKiller- You are also new, I see. Thank you for taking an avid interest in what I write, your words really brighten up my day so thank you!**

**Prominis- Whaaaaaaaa? Noooo, no connection, haha. In seriousness, yes that was the inspiration XD**

**Exalted Demi-Soul- You are right about Jaune haha! Thank you for your review and your intricate analysis of the chapter, it's great when someone understands the reasons why characters act and choose different things! Thanks :)**

**Sorry if I missed any recent reviews, thank you all so much!**


	26. Fimbulwinter

It was always odd to wake up somewhere new, recently the roof over his head would change twice within a week, yet every morning when he awoke he opened his eyes expecting to lay eyes upon his broken in, familiar bedroom, hearing the bustle of seven sisters all round the breakfast table downstairs and his mother calling his name. He would feel strange, looking up at the most recent hostel room ceiling, he would temporarily think he was dreaming or someone had moved him in his sleep, then the reality would set in.

Oh yes, he had ran away.

With a groan, the teen took in his newest surroundings, his attention called to the lack of morning sunlight which acted as a regular saving grace for his more than occasionally sketchy accommodation choices. With a painful move of his neck, he realised that this time around he hadn't even been allowed a bed, his drowsy form stretched out over the leather sofa with a dark red quilt big enough to cover bis chest half falling to the floor.

Raising his palm to his forehead, the images from last night began to collaborate and form memories as Jaune took a sharp breath before turning to his left towards the artificial fireplace, seeing the slumped, unconscious form of the black suited intruder known to him as Mister B. Mann laying dormant, his left wrist bound by a zip tie that held itself upon a thin, golden pole that was positioned near the furnace.

That was right, he had been lead here whilst following the B. Mann and had pursued him onto the roof where he confronted the two girls he now knew as Melanie and Miltia Malachite. His head legitimately began to ache as he remembered the ordeal clearly, the unrelenting glare from the elder twin in white and the sceptic's run down from the younger twin in red.

According to their story, they were no longer with their former employer and had been ambushed by Mann. They questioned whether Jaune was working for Junior or working for some woman they alluded to who had recently been making moves in the criminal underworld with two others, asking him if he knew a thief or if his father was an assassin for whatever reason Jaune couldn't deduce.

Remembering their anything but trusting glares, Jaune struggled to remember what exactly transpired next, something told him the marks against his neck had a little to do with it as he rubbed his nape softly before he sat up to try and get a better set of bearings. It was then that he noticed something holding his wrist and preventing him from sitting up entirely.

Peering down, he saw it and recalled precisely what took place, from the younger sister holding her claws to his throat before commanding him to lay down on the leather sofa before the elder sister took charge, approaching the teen with the given name JauneJauneJaune and seemingly attempted to stare into his very soul as she pondered his worth of trust, apparently coming to no fruition as she decided to postpone their decision of what to do with him until morning.

In order to make sure he didn't go running to his employer, Melanie Malachite grabbed two zip ties, one to contain the recently incapacitated Mister Mann and one for the hooded teen himself, securing it to the corner leg of the sofa before retiring for the night, both exhausted from their day and just wanting to relish in the chance to close their eyes for more than a second.

Jaune had decided to follow along without complaint, today had been a long one for him as well, and when he thought of his other options for residence that night, a luxurious band's abode with security and comfortable, unscarred furniture was not going to find itself much competition.

Before that, however, Miltia seemed a little more grateful towards the boy who had in fact rescued her elder sister, grabbing a blanket before handing it to Jaune without a word and heading off to join her sister. Jaune didn't bother to tell her the blanket was entirely unnecessary for someone like him.

_Someone like him..._

When had he begun to think of himself like that? Up until recent events he had just been Jaune, descendant or Arcs, a well meaning but occasionally bull headed boy with a sensitive side, or so the description from his mother went. He had been another average guy, so when exactly had he categorised himself subconsciously as something else, someone different?

Perhaps it was instantaneous, as soon as he had opted to stay at a Bed and Breakfast rather than return home, he knew he was changed, he knew he no longer fit the old description of himself held within his own mind. Of course, _she _hadn't cared.

Jaune sighed, he had wondered when she would pop up in his head again, what had it been, a day? No matter what he may choose to occupy himself with his mind always seemed to have a funny way of reverting back to the default thought that seemed to have established itself as the image of a princess in light blue, an asymmetric ponytail gracing her presence and eyes of a envy worthy blue. There was also her smile, that was something he reminded himself of whenever he found himself between worlds, staring up at a bleak ceiling in the solitary discomfort of a cheap B &amp; B that could never hope to match the experience he had with her.

Of course, with happiness came grief, the thought that as quickly as she had come, she had been taken away. It was inevitable, perhaps, it was clear to any that the two belonged to different worlds that just so happened to cross paths during that particular week. Maybe if he searched hard enough, he could force the stars to align once more, yet the more he entertained that idea, the more belonging to a fantasy it seemed.

Re-focusing himself, the boy looked down at his constrained wrist, glancing at the black material that threatened to cut off his blood flow altogether before remembering that with the alienation and self-doubt that came with the change he had gone through, there were also a few perks.

An icy blue accent began to spread over the bracelet at Jaune's behest as ice started to form over it, once it had been encased entirely Jaune willed it to break apart, the material instantly falling to the ground in frozen tatters as Jaune massaged his red marked wrist. Little tricks such as that were always good to know when in his shifty current line of work.

Pulling the scrap of blanket off of himself, Jaune hefted himself to his feet and let out a tired yawn. Conscious of himself, Jaune checked his surroundings, the dimly lit studio made it hard to tell what time it was, it seemed like the sisters weren't up and about just yet.

His first impulse was to leave the studio apartment and be head to the streets, but a passing glance at the sleeping man by the fireplace was enough to advise hesitation, the job was to get Mann out of the city, by any means. Easier said when he was currently knocked out and imprisoned, the option of carrying him to the city borders not too appealing to Jaune.

Deciding to proceed and see what comes his way, Jaune eyed up what appeared to be a small red wood kitchen counter with several appliances spread sparse about it. Fingering the various drawers, Jaune cracked open a pair of double cupboard doors to see a line of boxes stacked against each other.

Picking out the one that he had grown accustomed to, Jaune placed it on the counter and turned round to inspect the windowed closets for a bowl and spoon, an image in the glass catching his eye as a light red blur stood with its hands upon its waist, staring straight at Jaune who had stopped his search with a sigh.

"Any chance you could offer up some milk?" Jaune offered half jokingly as he turned himself round to face the mistrusting glare presented by Miltia Malachite. The girl's bright emeralds dared him to try something as she looked around the teen for any signs that he was planning to attack. Finding only items that were, in terms of an escape plan, utterly useless.

"_Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes_?" she asked, eyeing the bright red box with the image of a young, smiling red headed teen gleaming above a bowl of the glorious cereal itself. "These are what you actively choose to eat first thing in the morning?" she asked in a tone that carried heavy disapproval.

"It's kind of what I live off about now, they aren't the worst thing I've eaten, they don't give me powers though," 'Jack' shrugged, his words causing much confusion in the jet black locked ex bodyguard. "Besides, you're the one with a box of it in your cupboard." He thumbed backwards with a raised eyebrow.

"They are _emergency rations." _Miltia stressed, placing two fingers to her forehead. Personally not wanting to even be in the vicinity of such a sugar filled enemy to dental hygiene, the 'ration' being entirely her elder sister's decision.

Miltia had thought plans for an extended stay in the recovered band studio apartment was unnecessary, though now, with half the criminal underworld on the search for the twin deserters, they may very well have to hide out inside these decorated walls for a considerable while.

"So, now that pleasantries are done with." Miltia stated suddenly, Jaune not so sure about her concept of 'pleasantries' before she raised one of her crimson claws to his eye level as he took a step back, "Jack, if that name is close to your real one. Who are you and what do you want with us?" she levelled him dangerously.

Jaune considered his answer meticulously, he didn't know this person, nor did he really intend to. He hadn't even meant to meet her or her sister at all, they had just happened to work rather well at drawing Mann out into the open. In truth, the only thing tying him to their place of residence was the gangster laying upon the wooden floor at the other end of the room.

"I'm a hire... from one of Roman's friends." he began to explain as Miltia instantly tensed, fleeting panic evident in her eyes as Jaune continued, "They wanted Mann out of command and wanted me to take care of that. I just followed some of his men for a few days until they met with a guy, who would meet with a higher guy, and so on and so forth until I was lead to Mann, who just so happened to be occupying himself with you two.

He told his men to seize you the minute they laid eyes on you, I'm guessing that was more to get you two tuckered out before you got back to the apartment he already knew about. I stalked him to the roof and followed him down the entrance here. I attacked when your older sister was grabbed and, well, last night happened.

Now I just need to make sure he isn't going to be any more trouble and I'll be out of your hair, no telling Junior that you guys are here, no return trips, gone, poof. Does that sound all right to you?" Jaune answered, while Miltia definitely wasn't satisfied, she seemed confident that he wanted to be gone as much as she wanted him gone. It wasn't anything personal, right now the only one she could feel secure with was her elder sister.

"No more trouble, huh?" Spoke a voice identical to the girl opposite him as the form of the elder sister, Melanie, appeared from around the corner where the B. Mann had approached them just the night before, her too adorning the same white combat dress. "We can take care of that right now, then." Melanie stated simply as she began to walk over to the downed man that had endangered both her and her younger sister.

On her way over, she offered a sharp eye to the icy blue remains of the boy 'Jack''s restraints she had fastened just before bed, making a mental note to be wary of their mysterious visitor all the more before she stood above her current issue, Mister B. Mann.

"What're you thinking?" Jaune asked cautiously as he walked over along with Miltia, wary of the menacing tone and gait presented by the elder twin in white as she leaned over, ensuring the black suited man was truly still dormant. Satisfied, she straightened herself and turned to 'Jack'.

"It's your job, right?" Melanie turned to the hooded teen who's eyes widened at the possible implications the bored sounding girl carried in her words as she gestured towards Mister Mann's fallen form. "You kill him, use the ice to make the stab wound untraceable and dispose of the body, just don't do it here." Melanie concluded before spinning around and starting to walk off.

"What?!" Jaune spoke incredulously, the notion of such an act barely having begun to sink in before his mind instantly rejected it. Miltia, too, looked perturbed by what her elder sister had suggested. True, the girls had grown to be of the morally flexible variety in order to make it in this city, but they had yet to cross that lie no matter how bad things had gotten.

"What's your problem? Do you not realise who this person is?" Melanie responded, crooking a disbelieving eye as she raised her hand disdainfully towards the vulnerable man laying still beside the three. "This man- no- this scrape of dirt deserves it. Don't assume you know what he's like, you don't know a thing.

We aren't the first he's gone after, but I'm pretty sure we are the first he hasn't caught, and what do you think happened to those girls? What do you think will happen if you let him go? How many more until he deserves it? He will not stop, until he is stopped." She narrowed her eyes implicitly, Jaune's eyes shooting wide open.

His vision trailed to the floor beneath him, his fists clenching and his head spinning in a storm. The pure aspect of what he was being asked to do was slowly sinking in, and it started tremors through the teen's already ice riddled body. The girl in white watched him impatiently as the younger sister avoided eye contact altogether.

He had been through things the past year that had changed him, he was still getting to terms with his power but that wasn't all. The missions he had signed up for started off simple, fetch this, that, help them. Not before long, however, he begun to receive requests of another nature entirely.

* * *

_"Get back inside! You can't fight that thing!" his wife had called out to him, standing fear stricken in the doorway to their cabin. Her husband offered the most convincing smile he could muster back at her. Himself also doubting his chances as he stood opposite the encroaching black beast._

_He shook his head vigorously, attempting to rid of any doubt, this was the summer home he had bought for the love of his life and he'd be damned before he let some mutt break it down. Even if the only thing he had on hand was his chestnut hunting rifle, his shooting arm was still something to be feared._

_Besides, if his daughter could take on ten of these armed only with a handbag and a pair of fashionable black shades, then how the could he call himself her father if he couldn't protect what was his whilst she was training at the academy?_

_What the headstrong Mr Adel failed to realise is that what now slowly crept towards him was not a regular beowulf, but a veteran, and a wild one at that. Grimm weren't known for their thinking capacity, but their conditioned instincts were something else._

_It was this programmed instinct from facing previous huntsman that lead to the devoted husband and father's rifle being harmlessly swiped from his hand, flying through the air and snapping against a nearby tree with a resounding snap. The pieces falling as far as the father's expression as the terror now began to arise._

_"Adkin!" the distressed mother from the door shrieked as the beast lurched forwards with its monstrous hind legs propelling its ravenous form forwards towards the man who raised his arms in a near futile effort to block the inevitable impact._

_The roar of the beast echoed through the mountain range like the cry of death incarnate, deafening the wife and husband- before it stopped altogether._

_Adkin Adel slowly re opened a single eye, wondering upon sight if time had miraculously stopped, as in front of him lay the familiar image, the wolf creature with its claws and fangs poised and bared, about to close in on its prey, now laying completely inactive._

_The subtle cracking sound of ice alerted the man to the hooded teen that currently stood behind the beast, his palm placed firmly against the soulless being's back, with unmistakable ice spreading from his point of contact to the entire surface area of the beowulf, coating it in a light blue skin of conjured ice._

_Once the Grimm was fully encased, the hooded figure retracted his hand with a tired sigh before he turned towards the husband who still stood with his arms up, the sights before him not entirely registering as real in his mind as the boy pulled down his hood._

_"Hey, are you all right?! I was supposed to be on the look out for a misplaced Grimm in the safe zone, I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner!" the boy spoke, what caught Mr Adel's interest was not the profuse apology that he was now presented with, but the nature of the very boy himself._

_His warm hearted words and caring outward appearance contradicted the brutally efficient dispatch of the beast frozen behind him, as did his youthful appearance. Whilst his bizarrely pale complexion and snow white hair were ones to catch the eyes, it was the youthful features present upon his concerned expression that baffled him._

_Why, the boy seemed no older, perhaps even a year or two younger than Adkin's own precious girl. However, as he peered closer, he spotted something different beyond the boy's disposition. The blackening bags underneath his sharp blue eyes and the scrawny figure barely concealed by his armoured clothing implied that this boy certainly had a past to tell, or one to conceal._

_"Kid, how old are you?" Mr Adel asked, the courtesy of thanking his saviour playing second fiddle to his intrigue with the boy as the boy before him looked taken aback by the inquiry. Adkin awaited a response, eager to discover what lead a child to pursuing such dangerous jobs as monster hunting._

_Before the boy could respond, Adkin's vision blurred as a chocolate coloured shape crashed into him, throwing its two arms around the man and hugging him tight as Adkin's eyes adjusted to witness the sight of his wife constricting him with her head buried deeply into his shoulder._

_"Adkin, you helpless fool!" his wife beat his chest softly as the wife held her love even closer to confirm that he was in fact still there with her. Mr Adel smiled down at his wife, brushing her hazel shaded locks backwards as he shushed her gently._  
_"It's all over with now, all right Laurie? And we have someone to invite to dinner to thank for it!" Adkin whispered to her._

_Laurie Adel lifted her head tentatively, her dark brown eyes meeting his as she couldn't help but crack a small smile, the fierce trembling in her knees finally beginning to settle as her heartbeat began to soothe to a calm and relieved rhythm._  
_"Well, as our daughter would say, good hustle out there-" Adkin turned round to his saviour._

_Adkin and Laurie Adel turned to see the frozen Grimm standing alone opposite them, any sign of the boy in the black hoodie now vanished as they hadn't even heard him take a step. The only evidence left behind being two streaks of ice upon the woodland floor leading off into the distance._

_"Kid?" Akin spoke, dazed, before a tug on the arm from his wife brought him back inside the summer house with her to calm themselves with a well needed mug of cocoa, their most favoured beverage of all. Both spent the night wondering just who in the world that boy was, and if he had somewhere to sleep that night.  
_

* * *

There was, of course, the upside of being able to help people in the process, but eventually the demands grew until the point when he was called upon for what was best described as exterminations. This didn't mean the most powerful Grimm, Jaune was still sixteen at that point and whilst his ability was powerful he was not a trained huntsman by any measure.

It meant clearing out packs of the vile grunts, he simply found his semblance to be effective on large crowds when he could gain access to water, often using the simple move of freezing them all still and leaving them to perish. The extent to which his environment aided his fighting prowess was no more accentuated than the time at Shivverin Forest.

Nonetheless, of all the miscellaneous missions he had been sent on, not ever had he been asked to target another human. It was the nature of this world, when humankind was united by a common enemy, in this case the black beasts that occupied every border, we forsake animosity towards each other. The mutual concern of all being preserving our welfare as a species.

Yet when the Grimm are not on the minds of the people, other thoughts may take precedence, forgetting the danger of the Grimm some can grow to see fellow humans or faunus as their enemy once again. This was not common, but it was inevitable. Now Jaune was seeing it up close.

Looking up to the girl in red beside him, Miltia Malachite didn't seem as troubled, sure she wasn't happy about the situation, only the likes of Torchwick would be perfectly fine with their predicament. It seemed clear to her that this man was a threat, and not just to them.

Jaune turned his gaze to the man slumped in the coal suit, inspecting him meticulously. The crooked lines on his face reminiscent of his derogatory smirk, the lack of wrinkles and clear complexion suggests he was perfectly happy sleeping at night.

His expression was almost care-free, like there was no weight upon his shoulders, no indication of the sins and atrocities he had surely committed in his time as a gang leader. Were they right? Would this man simply rise up again and continue on his path of devastation? Would it really be for the better if Jaune were to-?

_"... I feel like I can really trust you to have my back"_

Jaune shot his head up, focus ensnared as the voice tickled something strong within him, he lifted his head and beyond all logic and sense, he saw her once again. The girl of fifteen he had met the year before, adorning the new dress she had bought the day previously along with the lavender gloves that now covered his palms.

She gazed straight at him with a serious expression, in a manner identical to the way she had done that day in his village town upon the high hill where you could outlook the entire area in peace. Jaune not able to articulate any words, the girl in white spoke again.

_"Forget being cut out for it, to me, you are already a huntsman, willing to risk your life to save another's, I find that admirable. To be perfectly honest, I'm a little envious that it comes so naturally to you."_ She spoke as Jaune slowly took in her words, the realization forming in his head.

The ethereal figure walked over to him, placing a dainty finger beneath his chin as her pale blue eyes connected with his of a darker tint, her features encapsulating him before her melodic voice rang out again.  
_"__So stop doubting yourself all the time, you're more capable than you think, right now, the only thing holding you back is yourself."_

She smiled at him, and then she was gone.

Jaune stood awestruck, eyes remaining fixed forwards to what was now the empty space within the wooden panel walls, Miltia Malachite appeared very confused at the boy who had just a second before been staring into space as if he was startled by something that was evidently invisible to anybody else as he shut his eyes, the words he had recalled resonating within himself.

"I'm taking him to the police station, I'll wait until he's put inside and then it will be done with." Jaune stated, springing back into action as he reached for the hoodie he had taken off during the night, reaching down to Mister B. Mann's wrist and activating his power, imitating the action he had taken himself but on his zip tie and without the care he had taken with himself.

"Did you even listen? I said to get rid of him." Melanie Malachite's voice arose, her indignant tone amplified by the daggers she currently sent at the hooded teen who now occupied himself with placing a lank black sleeved arm over his neck and heaving upwards, carrying the unconscious man with him as Melanie and Miltia simultaneously stepped into his path.

"**We can't let you leave with him."** they spoke in unison as they lowered themselves into subtle battle stances, Jaune sighed at the pair, definitely in no way to fight them whilst keeping the criminal upon his shoulder out of the crossfire. Remembering when he had faced off against the red haired White Fang member, Jaune channelled his power and opened his eyes to the twins.

"_He won't hurt anybody else, now please move." _Jaune asked icily as the twins remarked the deathly stare that seemed to hold actual ice streaks protruding from his bright irises as an aura of power began to emanate from the teen. Miltia and Melanie exchanged a long look, it was obvious what Melanie wanted to do, overpower him and kill the rat.

Miltia, however, thought more rationally, if he was to get Mann arrested, for one he would suffer for life, on the less sadistic side his incarceration could lead to the others like him being locked up for good with his information. It also meant a load off of their conscience, the two of them didn't honestly want anybody to die, Melanie was always just more impulsive than her younger sister when it came to protecting one another.

Melanie understanding what Miltia was thinking, she sighed and decided to trust in the past proven better judgement of her younger twin and relented. The two sisters both lowered their weapons as Jaune shook his head and returned his eyes to normal. With a nod towards the sisters, Jaune made his way through the apartment to the rooftop where he could make his way to the town center.

* * *

"Well, now what?" Jaune asked himself as he stood upon the clear rooftop overlooking morning Vale, the heavy weight upon his shoulder not showing any indication of waking. Honestly, before he had solely been thinking about getting out of there, now he was faced with the subsequent challenge of getting this guy to the police station in the hustle of the town.

Deciding alleyways were his only option, Jaune took a brief glance of the city landscape, spotting the street with the police station about two kilometers from the rooftop, raising his hand and plotting in his mind a path that avoided public view. Not quite satisfied the route would be vacant, it was better than shoving the man in a bin bag and lugging him across the city.

"First things first, then..." Jaune eyed the ladder that led down to the alleyways he had tracked the gangster down the previous night, not confident in the chances of him getting both himself and his passenger down safely. With a quick thought and an inspecting look at the man's physique, Jaune nodded and stepped towards the edge of the rooftop.

With a grunt, Jaune let the man slip from his shoulder, watching his limp body escape his view with a whistle as Jaune peered over, the man nearly half way down before Jaune raised his arm and focused. The figure connected with the pile of snow without a sound as Jaune jumped down after it, cushioning his landing perfectly before turning to the snowbanked Mr Mann, taking his lanky figure onto his shoulder once more.

As Jaune made his way forward, checking each and every corner turn to ensure no one was present, every once and a while he would hear a voice echoing off the walls and he would have to make a small diversion in his path, ducking into the shadows until the people had left the area. His pace suffered, the trip that would usually take a maximum of fifteen minutes now taking the better part of an hour.

"All I'm asking is have you seen anyone that fits that description?" came a voice from an alley stretching towards the right, Jaune craning his neck around the street corner and surveying the scene. Jaune spotted an adult man in a white labcoat, a timid and intellectual disposition about him that stuck out like a teen carrying an unconscious mob boss throughout town, hopefully more so, given circumstances.

Jaune decided to elongate his journey rather than compromise it as he reluctantly opted for the longer path to the left, adjusting the body upon his shoulder and tugging down on his black hood before discreetly stepping onto a path apart from the skittish man who was speaking to a local shop owner, the rough and unkempt salesman contrasting perfectly with the nervous doctor-in-appearance.

"Just, anybody like this? Worryingly pale? Maybe does magic tricks with ice? Please, I'm doing this for a girl who is missing her friend! Anybody spring to mind, anybody at all?" the 'doctor' continued, Jaune's blood ran cold, stopping mid-step. His feet skidding against the ice as suddenly behind him, the conversation had ceased. Jaune could feel the stares of the two men bare into his back intensely as Jaune's fists seized his palms.

"W-Wait, you, boy. May I have a minute?" Jaune heard the doctor call out from behind him, Jaune picked up his pace, strengthening his grip on the suited man he held hoisted and worked his legs faster. The echoes of the man's calls grew more and more distant as the hooded teen dashed through the sidestreets following the left turn, struggling to retain his bearings as he kept one ear open for any other pedestrians.

He only allowed himself an extra breath after three minutes of skirting in an out of the shadow graced alleys, bending his knees and resting a supporting hand against the brick wall to his right. Controlling his heavy panting, Jaune lifted his head to a sight that made his heart skip, across from him after another back alley was the back fence that cordoned off the police station, all he would have to do is tip Mr Mann over it and leave the rest to the police of Vale.

Keeping his elation from overcoming his sense, Jaune approached carefully, taking his time as he trod quietly towards the barbed fence. An odd sense of foreboding came over him, which he initially dismissed as trepidation following the end of his lengthy route here. However as he slowed his step, the sensation became all too real for him and he twisted back around the way he had come, only to see it now blocked.

Two blank gentleman clad in suit and menace now stood in his return path, weapons by their sides without an apparent need for concealment as they stared Jaune down. Sure enough, as Jaune returned his sight forward, the path that had led to his final destination was now also bordered by a pair of silent adult men with weapons at the ready.

"Four of you?" Jaune pulled down his hood, slowly edging the mob boss off of his shoulders, placing his hand onto the hilt of his sword as he straightened his form opposingly. When he saw one of the men smirk his confidence was slightly knocked, Jaune raising an eyebrow before behind from the two men on each side came a multitude of black shapes filing past the two men.

"Right, they're just the ones to stop me escaping, then? Is that it?" Jaune asked no one in particular as the two hordes of gangsters bore similar grins towards him, hardly any of them focused on their boss, instead savoring the thought of the inviting punching back right before them.

"I'll warn you now then, because I've seen this whole gang versus one thing done before. Basically, I'm kind of like a superhero, and, well, you guys have read comics from time to time, right?" Jaune asked jovially, doing his best to stall for time, feeling his power stretch to every section of his body as he formulated a plan in his head of how to take them all on at once.

Realizing that odds of him being able to fight at full power in such a confined space as a dank alleyway were laughable, Jaune opted for the more intellectual, or more realistically, the more playground-bully-style set of tactics. "Such a big group, I guess none of you are good enough to take me alone, then?" Jaune jeered, confident on the outside yet inwardly praying they were as mindless and cocky as the stereotype foretold.

The arrogant smirk from one of the gangsters squaring up to Jaune was all the answer he required as one bolted forward, ahead of his peers and straight for the snow haired challenger, brandishing his trusty axe high as he swung down to meet the teen's skull. What he didn't intend was the so called challenger sliding backwards suddenly as if he were travelling on ice, thrusting his sword backwards, hilt-first connecting into the suited man's skull as he toppled to the side.

"Jeez, startled me, man!" Jaune feigned shock as the second man in black closed in from behind, confident that the pale brat had been saved by a fluke. In one fluid motion, Jaune dropped to the floor, spinning round with his leg outstretched and catching the man's legs. As the fodder fell towards him, Jaune coated his left hand with ice and thrust upwards, connecting with the man's chin in a cracking uppercut.

The next approaching half dozen were knocked to the ground by the suited man flying backwards into them with a heavy choir of grunts. Witnessing the human dominoes their fellow foot soldiers were being reduced to caused hesitation from the group approaching from the left.

Jaune raised a hand to them and beckoned them forwards, a fierce look now present in his deep blue orbs as one man regained his vigor, heading straight in to fight, his bravado was cut short as Jaune sprinted forwards, blocking the man's axe with his sword before using his momentum to thrust the man sideways into the brick wall, audibly winding him as he, too, was down for the count.

The next gangster came faster than expected, falling in to the left with a switchblade raised high, in a reflexive motion Jaune dealt the man a hard, frosty backhand that left an icy blue mark across his cheek as he fell to the floor beside the henchman that had just been knocked into the wall, falling roughly into his lap as Jaune let out a sigh of relief.

His lapse was momentary, when he heard footsteps approaching from behind, Jaune lurched forward for the next approaching henchman, grabbing him roughly by the arm before pulling him backwards, past Jaune and hurling him flailing into the attacker coming up from behind Jaune, the two men colliding with a smack as their weapons clattered to the floor.

_*click*_

Jaune heard the steel just before he felt it press itself up against his skull. Cursing his carelessness, Jaune shifted an eye backwards to see the smiling henchman holding a custom revolver to the back of his head. Even with aura, the impact would be enough to severely concuss him or at worst deplete his aura. Seeing how relenting to this man was definitely not an option, Jaune thought fast.

"Good snowman, now don't be difficult and-" the man began before the kneeling hooded teen suddenly swiveled around, facing towards the firearm before releasing a heavy exhale which formed a visible mist as the gun in the man's grasp instantly froze over entirely. An attempt to follow through was met with little as the trigger remained frozen in place.

Taking advantage of the temporary stupor, Jaune thrust himself upwards, connecting a fist into the man's stomach and keeling him over as Jaune took hold of him.  
"Mister B. Mann is out of business, effective both immediately and permanently, now give up and maybe give your mother a call." Jaune advised before letting the breathless man fall to the ground among the rest of the fallen.

"Wait, you guys, he's gone!" came the voice of one of the henchman from the standing right horde as Jaune turned in shock, true enough, in the center of the conflict between the two sides where he had dropped the man, all that was visible was the filthy street ground. Jaune narrowed his eyes as he pondered whether the boss had somehow slipped away whilst he had been pre-occupied, but if that was the case why wouldn't his men know?

"No need to hold back then, wreck him, lads!" came a gruff, vengeful tone as the men who could still fight all fixed glares upon Jaune, almost all simultaneously reaching behind their backs for the very thing Jaune had just had a close enough encounter with. Standing himself tall, Jaune considered making a run for it, the idea dismissed as his hesitation led to him standing dumbstruck as he stared down the barrels of many a pistol.

"Sayonara, Aunt Arctic!" one man snarled, signalling Jaune's fate as he raised his sword defensively, knowing it would not do much for him in the current predicament.  
The image of the men standing before Jaune in the dark, misplaced alleyway with no feature familiar to him that would have potentially been the last ones Jaune could see was vivid. That was, until, it blurred.

Jaune's vision completely distorted as he found himself being pulled to the right, feeling his senses go numb as he was met with the sight of what appeared to be the inside of a wall before being replaced by the unclear sight of a run down office and a figure in a red dress. This surreal experience came to an all-too-sudden conclusion as his sight restored itself.

Now clearly he could see a typical grey walled office reception, the only dashes of colour being the vibrant dressed worn by the two females in front of him whom he recognized now as Melanie and Miltia Malachite. The younger twin seemed to be checking him for injuries as the older sister crossed her arms, waiting impatiently for the wide eyed teen.

"Really? No thank you? Ugh..." Melanie scowled at him as only then did reality begin to spur questions in his mind. One second he had been praying at gunpoint, now...  
"Please don't be sick, when sis uses her semblance on others they always get nauseous." Miltia spoke with a hint of disgust in her tone, Jaune chuckled nervously, knowing himself before to be the motion sick type, nowadays he could reign it in better.

"I'm good. Now, would you mind telling just what happened ten seconds ago?" Jaune looked to Melanie in bewilderment, the sister in question letting out a loud groan.  
"We knew we couldn't trust you to get him across town alone, so Miltia kept an eye on you and saw that mob trap you. At first I just watched you distract the goons before phasing in and grabbing him. Then, out of the pure goodness of our hearts we decided to help you out, as well." Melanie spoke in a tone barely even attempting to mask insincerity.

"Right, but 'phasing'? Also, how did Miltia 'keep an eye' on me? I wasn't exactly strolling down main street..." Jaune stressed as Miltia piped up before her elder twin.  
"Semblances, I'm sure you're aware by now that they come in all shapes and sizes? Well, sis here can make herself immaterial at her will and the explanation for mine? Well, let's see..." Miltia trailed off before turning to the wall that Jaune had emerged from seconds earlier.

A green glow emanated from her eyes as she narrowed her gaze, staring into what Jaune could only perceive as a solid brick wall. After a few seconds, the younger twin spoke aloud, "The henchman are, right now, knocking on the wall to try and find a secret switch to a hidden entrance and... the one with the goatee has a third nipple."

Jaune turned, confused to the unchanging opaque wall and deduced that her semblance allowed her to see through physical barriers entirely.  
"I can level the intensity to control how many layers I see through, it's very useful. I can't use it for long, though, a quick survey is usually all I get." Miltia spoke before returning her eyes to Jaune and placing her hands on her hips. "Well, usually, not bad, Jack." she spoke, looking him up and down before he caught on and covered himself with his arms.

"Please don't literally and mentally undress me with your eyes." Jaune asked in deadpan as the younger twin reluctantly relented, the glow disappearing from her eyes.  
"One twin who can see anything beyond a barrier and the other who can pass through any obstacle, that's why we occasionally get the title of the 'Untouchable Girls', that wording doesn't exactly do well to discourage people like Mister Mann, however." Miltia lamented before a clearing of the throat caught both her and Jaune's attention.

"If you two are done, we still have this trash to deal with?" Melanie indicated to the slumped figure Jaune hadn't noticed initially, the unwaking man now appearing more like a prop now that he had remained motionless for so long. The tension that had not been present since that very morning returned and Jaune connected a fierce eye to eye with Melanie.

"With you two to help, we can easily deliver him to the station now, right?" Jaune began cautiously, Melanie glared at him momentarily but responded slowly after,  
"Probably, and you make a point that turning him in is what's best for both him and us, but that doesn't change the fact I never take orders without payment." Melanie declared, her younger sister failing to see where she was headed with this.

"Meaning?" Jaune asked after a few seconds of non visible lightning crossing between their two gazes, Melanie seemed to be calmer now than before, meaning what she was saying was planned out, which at least ensured she wasn't going to ask for anything to emotionally driven. She stood herself straight, raising the hand that didn't hold Mann by the collar to point at him.

"We hand him in. However this still leaves a problem, due to recent developments I feel we have lost faith in the moron, Junior. Without him, we don't have much promise of any jobs in this town, now, what do you think you can do about that?" Melanie questioned, to be perfectly honest she wasn't confident that he would have a solution ready for her. This was simply her attempting to cover all bases, not wanting to risk losing her and her twin's income.

"Well, you could work with me." Both twins blinked simultaneously, then Jaune followed suit. He hadn't thought, at all really, he had just blurted out the natural response that came to his head. In truth, Jaune did come across quite a few jobs he turned down due to not enough manpower that he could dig up for the three of them and if they allowed him to stay at their little base, they could probably form some kind of comfortable partnership.

However, the problem lied in the suspicion Jaune held that what Melanie was in fact implying was perhaps a sum of money or having Jaune convince Junior to re-establish Melanie and Miltia as bodyguards. If the expressions of uncertainty and wariness of the two girls were anything to go by, his idea wasn't exactly going to hit home. Before Jaune had a chance to back-pedal, however, they spoke up.

**"Sure, whatever." **they spoke unanimously as Jaune was taken entirely by surprise, pointing a doubting finger towards the two twins then back to himself. They both shrugged, "We see that you can handle yourself in a fight, and you managed to track Mister Mann pretty well. Including the connections that got you the job in the first place..." Miltia mused out loud.

"The moral code could get annoying, but if you're picking the jobs I guess we won't have any more arguments." Melanie agreed, albeit less enthusiastically as Jaune spared shocked glances between the both of them, not expecting his slip of the tongue to garner such a positive response. These two barely knew him!

"Plus, I think we can trust you not to screw us over. You seem like you wanna be some kind of 'White Knight', so you wouldn't dream of turning on us." Melanie finished with a threatening note, prompting an uneasy feeling to come over Jaune, but for the most part they seemed pretty on board for teaming up as mercenaries. Jaune would be lying if he said he wouldn't appreciate a little company.

"All right, then. I'm down, team Twin-ter Wonderland sounds good to me." Jaune nodded with a smile as the sisters both held looks of disdain towards the impromptu team nickname, however a shared rolling of the eyes indicated that they were at least happy to have come to an agreement. "But first, he goes to the police station." Jaune pointed to the nigh forgotten leader.

Melanie sighed, still feeling like digging her heels deep into the man's eye sockets until she hit whatever brain matter remained, but she opted for decades of suffering for the man instead. It wasn't like arguing with the snow caster was going to get her anywhere...

* * *

**One Month Later**

"Hey man, you sure about this guy, uh, Mars or Marky or whatever the silver haired brat said his name was?" the thick bearded man asked, sitting back in his chair with his hands behind his head as he rested his feet up against the desk of the lookout station. A small airport abandoned after a Grimm attack wasn't the most accommodating but the high guard towers meant for one hell of a view.

"Well the B. Mann isn't exactly an option, now is he? His girls had to be transferred, and apparently this guy's boss is running half of the gang activity in Vale. Now would you just watch those god damn airships? They're not flying anywhere but those girls could break through the windows or summin'." his fellow nightwatcher ordered as the bearded man let out a dispassionate sigh, raising his binoculars to his eye line once more.

As the bearded man scanned the night lit air grounds for the ninth time that half hour, he wasn't met by any surprises. The broken down airships containing the 'product' lay scattered across the area, the main building contained the majority of the henchman, the airships only guarded by a couple guardsmen each. This area wasn't on any map so it was unlikely they'd have any heroes. Plus, at the push of a button those resting soldiers would file out, armed to the teeth within a minute.

Although, confident as he was in the secrecy of the area, the bearded guardsman couldn't help but feel like he was missing something, then it snagged. Out of the mob of shadows cast down below on the compound, a singular black shape seemed to sift sleekly around the grounds, hard to make out but impossible to ignore once seen. The bearded man looked closer, identifying a human figure.

However, just as he got a clear image, the figure down below raised a hand to his ear, listening intently before the shape instantly turned and faced towards the binocular scope, the bearded man reeled back in alarm as the intruder seemed to be alerted that he was being watched somehow. "See something tasty?" the other guardsman asked his furry chinned friend who had grown stiff all of a sudden.

"Nothing at all." the guardsman looked confused before his mind began to stir, the voice that had uttered that response not in any plain of reality fitting the form of the wolf faced guardsman beside him. Both watchmen shared this realization, taking a gulp before they craned their necks to look behind them in unison. "Or rather, you won't be seeing anything for a while." the teenage girl clad in pure white combat dress and sharp heels addressed them.

"H-How the hell did you get in here?!" the bearded man demanded, half believing the angelic girl in front of him was a figment of his bored and fatigued mind. The other guardsmen was not as awestruck, lifting himself up off of his seat, equipping his mechanical throwing axe that he rarely got to use, fixing the girl with an aggression laced growl.

"You one of our girls? You better come with me or do you prefer falling down those steps with my axe embedded in your skull?" the guardsman asked with as much menace as he could muster. Contrary to expectations, the black haired intruder in white didn't begin to quiver in her heels, instead releasing a disapproving sigh.

"No thanks, loser." she uttered in a bored tone.

That was the nail, the guardsman's eye twitched before he lurched his arm forward, releasing the spinning metal axe headed straight for the uppity showgirl, waiting for the satisfying sound of metal clashing with bone. His expectations, to say the least, were not entertained.

The femme fatale merely raised an eyebrow as the swinging hatchet met her forehead, disappearing into her head before re appearing out the other side, flying and sticking into the locked door to the stairwell behind her. She sent them both an unimpressed look, letting out a genuine yawn as both men's eyes went world wide.

"Is that all?" she asked indifferently as the men shared a look of utter confusion. The shaven henchman was sure he hadn't missed, yet the girl was completely unharmed!

"Boring. Then..." Melanie spoke before changing her stance in a second, heading straight for the two men without brandishing a visible weapon. The next unexpected event displayed itself as the teen girl stopped herself, spinning around on one leg, using her momentum to collide her right heel with the head of the disarmed guardsman.

The bearded guardsman didn't have a second to react as Melanie followed up by standing tall and bringing up her left heel to connect with the area that she knew would cripple the man for the next hour or so at least. The audible crunch was enough to confirm his defeat as he fell to the floor, watery eyed and groaning in pain any man could sympathize with.

"The guards are gone, though I guess you know that already. Fake name, you're up." Melanie transmitted to her co conspirators, a teen adorning deep red standing behind a wall outside the entrance to the airport, her eyes able to see the internal structure as she confirmed her elder twin was telling the truth. Satisfied, she began to convey directions to their inside man.

"Okay, I'll take down the ship on my side, then Melanie, you let Miltia in and get to work on the airship on your end. Remember, no killing." Jaune whispered through his transceiver, met with a reluctant agreement from the elder twin as she began to make her way down the guard tower she had just infiltrated. With her first job done, Miltia too approached the airport entrance waiting for her sister.

Jaune took a deep breath, now it was his turn. Pulling his hood down and resting a hand upon his hilt, Jaune steadily approached the first airship containing the merchandised girls. Dotted around this particular vehicle were six of Junior's lent men, all carrying variations of a standard assault rifle, flashlights attached to see any threats in the thick darkness of night.

Two on either side and two on top, Jaune placed his hand to his chin, trying to lay out a plan. Having to ensure the occupants of the airship weren't harmed in any way, Jaune channeled his power throughout his body, feeling it surge. Coming up with something that barely resembled a battle strategy, Jaune stood himself up straight.

A low whistle filled the dry air as one of the henchman began a small whistle, his silent comrades and lack of in work entertainment had regressed him so.  
"_If you had a twin, I'd still choose you, I don't wanna rush..." _he mumbled as his fellow henchman shook his head, attempting to block out the annoying sound. Surprisingly, it worked... wait, it worked?!

The henchman turned round at the sudden silence, seeing a black space where his burden of a workmate had just been. Wondering initially if it was a gift from the Lord almighty, the reality became all too clear as he felt a strong impact upon his chest, what appeared to be a spike of ice flying into his chest and propelling him backwards off of the airship.

Seeing the two men land harshly on the concrete, the two guards on the left approached the direction the ice spikes had come from, eyeing the darkness intently until the guard on the right noticed something. On the ground curving around them were two streaks of... ice?

That was as far as the man's thought process extended as the form of Jaune Arc skated up from behind, taking hold of the necks of both of the man and bringing their heads together with a crack as Jaune shoved their injured forms to the floor. Only two more.

With their rifles poised, the two men circled around to Jaune, seemingly disregarding the airship full of girls behind the teen who suddenly appeared panicked. The men placed their fingers on the triggers and prepared to open fire as Jaune was forced to act fast, channeling his power to his hands and dropping down, placing his palms against the ground.

The series of gunfire were unexpectedly blocked by a low wall of ice that hadn't been there before, Jaune let out a big sigh of relief as he wasn't too late, yet he didn't have time to remain jubilant as the confused men still posed a real threat. Deciding to make use of what he had, Jaune thrust both his hands forwards, demonstrating his ability to bend ice that was already there.

The two remaining henchman looked absolutely befuddled as the ice wall morphed, growing spikes that extended at an incredible rate towards them. Evasion was impossible as the icy structure closed in, crashing into the men and knocking them out... cold.

Finally able to rest his mind, Jaune admired his own handiwork before turning to his main objective. Pulling on a release latch that was present for emergencies, Jaune stood back as the metallic door descended downwards revealing the dark interior and about a dozen or so pairs of eyes staring out at him.

"You're safe. Now head towards the entrance and call the police. Don't look back." Jaune spoke to the girls, relieved that they were apparently unharmed but horrified at the black hearts of some of the criminals in the city, seeing the terrified expressions present upon the girls' faces.

When none of them moved a muscle, Jaune raised two hands to his hood and lowered it, allowing the women to take a good look at his face, letting them know he wasn't one of them. He was here to help them. Outstretching his hand, he waited for almost half a minute of silence before a dainty, feminine hand took his.

One by one the girls filed out, all laying low as they headed for the entrance. A certain girl stepped out into the moonlight, skin olive and hair curly and black with mellow brown eyes. She took Jaune by the and and connected her eyes to his, Jaune staring back at the girl wearing a black corset.  
"Thank you." she spoke simply, Jaune nodding, catching that upon her wrist was a tag with the name 'Gwen' written upon it.

Receiving a signal, Jaune pressed his hand against his transceiver, getting the confirmation that the girls had done their part as well.  
Now all that was left was to seal the exits of the airport building, trapping the gangsters inside, and calling the police. They were only hired to save the girls, after all.

Deciding to save time, Jaune formed the ice beneath his shoes once again and skated over to where he spotted the two twins leaning cross armed nonchalantly as a horde of girls passed by them, a collection of fallen men in black suits littering the ground around them. Upon his approach they began to walk towards the main building, Jaune catching their pace and walking beside them.

"You think I can sneak in and grab some respectable boxes of cereal? I legitimately think Pumpkin Pete is killing my liver." Jaune expressed honestly, confident now that the hard part of the mission was done with. Even with that, Jaune found that around the two girls he did tend to feel at ease with them nowadays.

"Look at you, thinking of theft. Only three weeks in and goody two shoes has become a criminal." Melanie teased with faux disappointment, Miltia releasing a small smirk as Jaune chuckled. Come to think of it, it had already been three weeks. It hadn't seemed like long at all, he had quickly settled into the routine of sleeping on the leather sofa and waking up after the twins who would have already prepared a lunch consisting of whatever they could purchase at the local newsagent.

It had been nice, he supposed. Up until then he had been passing from place to place without any intention of calling one a 'home'. Waking up solely to the noise of the underpaid cleaners sweeping the floors of whatever cheap motel he had landed in the night before. Not since before his leaving home did he have anything like this.

Melanie had of course been the one most wary around the teen, insisting that he continues to have his wrists restrained before they went to bed, even though he had previously proven that he could escape them with relative ease. After around a week she started to soften up, if by softening up it meant to grow to tolerate, and on rare occasions appreciate the presence of him.

The closest the two tended to get was whenever Jaune would leave and enter the studio, coming in through the roof not being ideal when carrying a bag full of living supplies for three. What had always been in their relationship, however, was a sense of respect. Jaune knew how much Melanie did for Miltia and she knew that Jaune was doing what he was doing out of his heart, without ulterior motive.

Miltia and himself had always been civil, their small bond grew over the weeks, occasionally engaging each other during meal times and travelling with her when they were going out for food. When separate, the individual personalities of each girl tended to become clearer. Melanie was self respecting, somewhat obnoxious but always aware of herself. Whereas Miltia was quieter, more contemplative yet still as distasteful towards those the twins found unfavorable.

Where the trio truly connected was on the battlefield. As per their living agreement, Jaune would receive missions and relay them to Miltia and Melanie and if they approved, or could be bothered, they would set out. Jaune's combat skills, spontaneous creativity and ice casting. Melanie's semblance that allowed her entrance to anywhere, her cool temperament and ability to dispatch enemies without trouble. Miltia's all-seeing eyes that didn't even require her to be in the area to fill in Jaune and Melanie combined with her skills with those claws of hers.

Combined, they were a fearsome force of precision and brutality. Which is why a name began to be tossed around concerning the team of three tackling the hardest mercenary jobs out there, aptly dubbing them 'Fimbulwinter' which apparently had something to do with three mythological hard winters. Fitting, Jaune thought, yet not as catchy as 'Twin-ter Wonderland.

A tug on his shoulder brought Jaune out of his musings as he turned to see Melanie stopping him in his tracks, looking back at her younger twin sister who had paused, her eyes glowing once again. Not liking what her serious expression implied, Jaune returned his eyes forward, eyeing the two opposite crates, clued in on what may be hiding behind them.

"How many we talking, Miltia? Six, ten, more?" Jaune reached for his sword and began to feel his power course responsibly through him before the younger girl in red shook her head. Jaune and Melanie shared a puzzled look before Miltia raised her hand, pointing towards not the hidden area behind the two crates, but the front doors to the building.

"Just one." Pushing open the glass doors, a figure clad in a coal black overcoat and similarly dark hat with a lacy veil covering up the feminine figure's face, only one distinct, gleaming amber eye shone out from underneath. With a gait of graceful arrogance, the woman strode towards them, an invisible smirk Jaune was certain she presented beneath her veil present as she approached.

"Fimbulwinter, correct? I am honored to finally meet you," the figure offered an elegant curtsy to the trio, never breaking eye contact with one in particular,  
"Especially you, Jaune." came a sly, knowing tone. Jaune seized as the two girls beside him sent a deliberate look his way before the figure once again called their attention.

"Now, I would love to have a talk with Jaune alone. Would you two so kindly make yourself scarce?" the figure asked with an unsubtle hint of mockery. A verbal response was not given, instead Melanie Malachite placed one leg in front of the other, lowering herself into a fighting stance. Miltia Malachite doing likewise as she brandished a pair of blood red claws, both silently dismissing the thought of heeding that order.

Jaune, too, didn't feel like a light gossip with the mysterious woman, notwithstanding the manner in which she addressed his teammates. He prepared himself similarly, removing his sword from his sheathe and taking a step forwards, his resolve bolstered by the twins who now stood on either side of him ready to jump into combat at the word.

"Ah, disappointing. Oh well, we'll have time to talk afterwards. Don't worry." the woman spoke directly towards Jaune, who was armed and ready for whatever she threw at him, as his roughly formed and melded trio laid in wait for the woman to make the first move.

With a flick of her wrist, she did.

* * *

**Hi, there. Bit of a longer wait, then again, bit of a longer chapter, 11,000 words just for you :).**

**I really hope you are enjoying this little arc before we continue with canon. Also fimbulwinter is a real thing, yeah, I literally google'd things that associate with the number 3 and somehow found an ice pun in Norse Mythology.**

**I hope you liked this, feel free to review and I will endeavor to get back to you! :)**

**Exiled Soul Nomad- You have no idea how much I appreciate that kind of review, I mean I appreciate ANY feedback, positive or negative, but when someone takes the time and consideration to write something so thought out and comprehensive, it truly makes writing worth it. I will hope to live up to your expectations when it comes to a different kind of Jaune, actually I plan to make a rather large deviation from his canon soon, no, not an OP power or a sudden OC hot chick slave, instead he will perform an act one would not usually consider fitting his character. Ominous, I know haha :)**

**JustThoseGuys- Do not fear, I also love fluff, your wishes will be granted. Bear with me and thank you for your review!**

**The Dark Deceiver- You are 100% correct, I have looked back and I agree. I have attempted to go back and change them but I haven't gotten around to tweaking them all yet :/. Thank you for taking the time to give that constructive criticism!**

**VibeKiller- I hope you found a little of his past interesting, then!**

**dracohalo117- Of course I appreciate your feedback, they always put a smile on my face and your expressions of looking forward to the next chapter always just makes me want to write it faster :). Yeah, glad you hate Mister B Mann, he is not meant to be liked haha. Wonder if you got the significance behind the name as well.**

**There we are, I am truly sorry if I missed your review, it is kinda late :) Also I may have responded to some reviews beforehand so, once again, sorry, well hey at least now you're namedropped in a chapter! That's pretty wizard... right?**

**Anyway, to all of you, hope you are enjoying this and I will try to have next chapter up in the foreseeable future, that should give me enough time ;).**


	27. Glaciation

**Hello, there! Sorry if this has been a bit of a wait, I have been ridiculously busy as of recently :( . Oh well, I hope you enjoy this chapter with Jaune's backstory with the Malachites concluding and a hint at future events! Hope you have fun reading!**

* * *

Acting purely on reflex, Jaune threw himself aside into a roll, the clear white crystals passing overhead and exploding upon contact with a nearby shipping container. The woman in the coal overcoat tilted her head curiously at him, almost as those fire shade irises were studying him over, analyzing him and his fighting style.

Without another second's hesitation, the figure reached for another black, metallic cylinder. With a wave across herself, several more crystals formed, this time flame red in colour. Preempting her next move, Jaune also channeled his power, thus when the fiery crystals soared through the air towards him they were met head on by an identical barrage of pure white, ice crystals from Jaune, colliding in an expansive mist.

Following up, Jaune began to skate over to the figure, darting in between the various flame projectiles that she had begun to fire from seemingly out of nowhere, the heat scorching the air around him despite he himself not being able to sense the temperature. Just as he had closed half their distance, however, the figure raised her hands behind her and a great fire began to erupt from them.

Propelled forward like a jet, the woman matched, or even surpassed his speed as she made a beeline straight towards him. Jaune forced to swerved to the side at the last minute in order to avoid a serious collision. Time seemed to almost slow as they passed one another, all the while Jaune could feel her observing eye stuck to him, watching.

Both the ice beneath his soles and the fire from the woman's hands disappeared as the two figures skidded to a halt. The ice caster channeling his power into the palms of his hands as the fire caster did likewise. Both turned round in an instant, met eyes, then unleashed the dust imbued blast from their palms. Ice met fire in yet another spectacular display as both sides struggled to keep their stream dominant.

In the crux of the power struggle, Jaune's focused eyes suddenly darted elsewhere, causing the smirking woman to take the chance and increase her power. Jaune let out a yell as the fire blast sent him careening backwards, tumbling away upon the hard concrete. The thing that had distracted Jaune let out a low growl as the smirking figure turned around to see Melanie Malachite with her leg raised.

Not even worth using her dust, the figure rose her hand to block the obvious kick from the girl in the silver dress. Her eyes widened when the emerald eyed girl's kick seemed to phase right through her hand and connect with her face, knocking the coated woman to the ground in a heap.

_'Phasing, then... No, not as interesting...' _thought the mysterious woman on the ground before a girl similar to the first appeared above her in a red dress, currently bringing down a scarlet claw upon her as she lay stunned from the sudden kick. They were underestimating her.

The coal coated woman sighed before grabbing the scarlet claw with a single hand, stopping its movement entirely, then twisting on the ground to take out the younger twin's legs in her shock. In quick succession, the mysterious coated woman took hold of the younger twin and threw her whole form at the phasing girl, knowing she would have to remain solid in order to catch her little sister, resulting in both falling to the floor.

Just about ready to take out the two less interesting members of Fimbulwinter, the woman in black opened up another black dust canister, ready to unleash the crystals into the girls' defenseless forms before she stopped, sensing something. Feeling something swinging towards her, the woman craned her neck to see Jaune swinging an elongated blade toward her.

_'Increasing the length of your blade with ice, now that's creativity...' _the woman thought as she raised her hand, generating a great amount of heat that melted away the blade extension, shortening its range dramatically as regular Crocea Mors barely came within an inch of her.

With his missed swing and sudden loss of weight in his blade throwing him off balance, the woman conjured a black sword out of thin air apparently before swinging it back to make contact with the side of the white haired boy's head. What she didn't expect was for him to coat his free hand in hard ice and use it to catch her sword mid swing. Jaune continued to impress her.

"Authorities are already called. You and your buddies in the airport back there are all going down." Jaune warned her but she simply chuckled in response, not saying anything in return but it was clearly implied that she was not in the slightest worried about the authorities. For good reason.

"Jaune! Since you aren't 'Jack', anymore, we got to go! We're technically trespassing mercenaries, and those flashing red and blue lights aren't going to be so understanding of our _righteous _leader's intentions!" Melanie warned half-sarcastically as Jaune nodded, having the difficult job of getting rid of the woman in the coat and veil first.

With a little quick thinking, Jaune turned to the woman with the blade he was currently holding in place, and let out a cold breath. Initially confused, the woman only reacted when the cold breath began to freeze over her nose as she took a quick step backwards.

This was Jaune's opening as he begun to skate away, making sure to freeze the ground around them so the coated figure couldn't follow them back. Catching up to Melanie and Miltia who were already beginning to evacuate the airport that was soon to be swarming with policemen, he thanked whoever was up there that they were both all right.

The woman in the black coat watched them go, her eyes now glowing vividly through the black veil as a burnt black bow and arrow appeared in her hands. She wasn't just about to let this one get away that easily.

"So, 'Jaune', huh? Weird name, I see why you lied to us about it." Melanie stated with a poorly hidden accusation in her words as Jaune ushered an apology.  
"Sorry, kind of a work pseudonym. Didn't want my last name out there, though I'm glad it is. So that me and my two twin besties can get to know each other better." Jaune replied, Miltia smiling at his response as Melanie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, just as long as you don't have any delusion of anything bedroom related, the closest we'll go is bunk beds, snow-boy." Melanie warned jokingly.  
"All right, all right. Seriously though..." he began, catching both girls' attention as he looked between them. "Thank you two. Since I started doing this, you two are the only ones that I've been able to form a genuine bond with. I was pathetically lonely for a bit, you know?" he spoke with a genuine chuckle as both Malachite sisters looked equally surprised at the honesty of his words.

"Now though, I have you two! I don't know, but, even if its soon, you guys are like family to-"

Jaune's words fell then and there, his voice dying instantly. The only thing the twins saw was the excruciating pain upon Jaune's face and the black arrow that had embedded itself into his back.

Miltia instantly fell to Jaune's side, placing her hands on him in worry as Melanie looked behind them with a fury in her eyes. Across from them, still standing upon the ice, the coated figure stood, her bow by her side. Melanie had to fight the urge to return and give that smirking woman an entire world of pain when Miltia cried out.

"His external temperature is heating up! This isn't good! Help me lift him, Melanie!" cried the younger sister as Melanie stood alarmed at the urgency in her voice, getting down and lifting one of their fallen leader's arms around her shoulder as the Malachite twins began to lug Jaune away from the danger and wail of the sirens.

"Come on, snow boy, come on..." Melanie urged as they headed into the night, Jaune not making a sound the whole way.

* * *

When Jaune awoke, he knew something was off. Three things in particular told him that, one being the searing pain in his back that seemed to dig into nerves all around his body. The second was that he now found himself in a bed with no idea at how he got there. The third, and most prominent thing was that he heard two other people breathing quietly.

Slowly, and most definitely silently, Jaune turned to either side. Surely enough, on one side was Miltia Malachite sleeping in a dark red nightgown and on the other Melanie Malachite wearing a silver piece. Both fast asleep and breathing rhythmically beside him as his mind began to work into overdrive as he took in the sight before him.

The teen didn't have time to mull it over as a sudden pain burned into his back, a muffled scream emerging from Jaune as he buried his head in his pillow, not wanting to wake the two girls beside him. The pain was simply too much to quieten as he bit down on the pillowcase with a terrible expression.

"Jaune?! What's wrong? Melanie!" cried out an awakened Miltia who instantly panicked after seeing Jaune convulse in pain beside her. The older sister awoke with a stir, initially annoyed at the awakening but as soon as she saw what was happening she burst into action, leaping off of the bed and darting for the specific cupboard in the kitchen.

"Here! Jaune, take these, quick!" Melanie came back carrying a small capsule with two pills inside, handing them to the boy who now lay on his front, still writhing in agony. Quick to comply, he gratefully took the pills and swallowed them down as the twins watched carefully, adrenaline running high as they prayed this would settle him.

After a pause with a pained expression, Jaune released a sigh, prompting the two girls to do the same as the pain began to recede little by little.  
"Potent painkillers, picked a few up from a medical raid with Junior's guys. Make good use of them." Melanie advised as the boy's breathing returned to a regular pattern, the pain removed entirely from his expression.

"...What happened back there? I remember fighting the woman with the fire powers, then escaping with you two..." Jaune trailed off, unable to remember.  
"It was the woman, she fired an arrow into your back as we were running, she must have really not wanted you getting away. You have any idea why?" Miltia asked him.

Jaune scrunched his eyes closed as he recalled back, the woman had called him by his name and wanted to talk to him about something. In truth he didn't think he'd ever seen her before, he'd remember the abilities. They were rather similar to his when he considered them, though judging by the physical dust components she was using that can't be all she can do.

"None. It couldn't have been anyone from the village, I use the name 'Jack' on business... And the only other person who knows about my power is... No she definitely wouldn't tell anybody." Jaune ran over anyone who he could have known who he was, even Miltia and Melanie didn't know until now. So who was she?

Miltia eyed him in concern as he struggled to give an answer. With a sigh she conceded that they would simply have to find out the next time they met, then she would repay the woman for the arrow in the back she left Jaune with.

"Forget it. For now, go back to bed, your aura will probably sort out that injury by the morning but the painkillers won't last that long. Go to sleep." Miltia advised as Jaune stood himself up. The two sisters rose an eyebrow as Jaune began to slowly limp out of the room, holding his back carefully as Miltia and Melanie exchanged a confused look.

"Where are you going?" Miltia asked the boy who swiveled round to face the two sisters in their nightgowns, laying on either side of the bedspread.  
"You know I can't feel heat, right? One of the cons of snowman-ification, I'd be just as fine sleeping on the sofa. Also, doesn't look like a bunk bed to me."  
Jaune joked half heartily before turning back to walk out of the luxury bedroom.

"It's the comfort, Jaune. The general procedure for a guy who just got a fire arrow in the back would want proper support when he sleeps, no?" Melanie reasoned, rather convincingly so before she added "As an added bonus, we'll be here in case you start screaming like a little girl again. It's annoying."

Jaune chuckled, what he was saying before was true. In the first time after abandoning home that he had managed to find anybody he could confide in.  
Now, as the two girls who he ran into purely by chance laid down to sleep on either side of him, he knew he had found them.

* * *

**Present Day**

"_Then what?!" _Weiss almost shrieked as she went slightly red in the face. Having been listening intently up until now with Ren and Nora, the scene he had been describing turning into him sharing a bed with the two mercenary girls sent of all kinds of alarm bells within her as she could remain silent no longer.

Jaune, Ren and Nora were taken off guard by the heiress's outburst, having engrossed themselves in Jaune's storytelling of what happened with the Malachites. Nora in particular had been excited by the reveal of the two girls' semblances and Ren concerned about the identity of a powerful woman who somehow knew who Jaune was.

"I went to sleep, that was all! The pain didn't flare up after that, we slept fine- at a good distance apart! Clothed!" Jaune stressed as Weiss didn't seem convinced, looking away from him with an indignant expression as he chuckled nervously. Then Weiss took on a more serious expression, turning to Jaune with worry present in her eyes.

"Did your back get better?" Weiss asked him, the audible concern in her voice touching Jaune as he smiled warmly at the heiress. The gap in his heart during those lonesome years were filled by several things but seeing the young Schnee caring so much for him did wonders never before achieved to his heart.

Reaching behind him, Jaune pulled up the back of his sweatshirt, to the alarm of Weiss whose first reaction was to avert her eyes but she stopped when Jaune turned around, displaying his back to her. Weiss let out a soft gasp as she looked upon the small arrow head engraved scar upon his back, accentuated by a slight burn.

Running her fingers forward, Weiss laid two fingers on the injury. The guilt at what the boy saving her lead him to re appearing in her heart as she cursed herself for indirectly making him suffer more then she realized. Jaune had told her repeatedly he would do the same a million times over but that didn't stop the sinking feeling within her when she thought of him suffering.

"Doesn't hurt anymore. I had almost forgotten about the mark until today to be honest," Jaune remarked, pulling his hoodie back down over his back before turning back to Weiss. He grimaced when he saw the guilt etched upon Weiss's face, it was a side effect of her caring nature that she would feel guilty after all.

"So, what happened next? You said Ozpin found you alone, didn't you? No where near the city, either. Melanie and Miltia are back with Junior now, aren't they?" Ren asked curiously, intrigued by his team leader's past as Jaune nodded before his expression fell slightly.

"Well, it was odd. After the woman attacked, we constantly felt like there was someone out there, someone _watching us. _As soon as I was ready to fight again the job requests had dried up. It's almost like there was a new force on the streets, after that Torchwick began to walk the streets more, under new management apparently. The most we heard was that some woman with two helpers was making her way through the underground." Jaune explained, still unsure at what exactly had happened to cause that.

"Some woman? The same one that attacked you?" Nora inquired, having unexpectedly been drawn in to the story of Jaune and his criminal twins. Jaune looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. It was definitely possible, mostly likely but he couldn't be sure.

"Didn't know, didn't really matter. It was a few days after that we went our separate ways." Jaune spoke as the trio listened in once more.

* * *

**Half a Year Earlier**

"Jaune... you're going to leave soon, aren't you?" Melanie had asked him in the early hours of a cloudy Friday morning, herself, Jaune and her younger twin Miltia all laid to rest upon the king size bed of their 'rented' music studio apartment.

Stirring from the half sleep he'd been enjoying, Jaune turned to Melanie who looked across to him with a sleepy, half lidded expression as her twin slept soundly on the other side of the teen boy in between them. His back had healed but upon their insistence he had continued to share a bed just in case.

"I think so... That woman fails to capture me and then all of our work dries up, you don't think they're connected?" Jaune answered softly as he stared up at the ceiling. A rustling of blankets was heard as Melanie scooted closer to him, whispering so as not to wake Miltia.

"Even if that were the case, where will you go? Where will _we _go?" Melanie asked as Jaune craned his neck to face her as she laid on her side towards him.  
"I'll find something... and well, I heard that Junior isn't doing so well with Roman around, he'd probably be more than happy to take you two back... for triple the pay." Jaune urged, still carrying resentment for how Junior allowed the B. Mann to endanger the girls.

"You think you'll do just fine on your own after jailing a mob boss and getting an airport full of criminals taken away? I don't think your luck stretches that far, Jaune." Melanie chided, the thought of sending Jaune off all on his own disturbing to her whilst she left with Miltia.

"I found you two, didn't I? I'd say my luck's pretty reliable..." Jaune half mumbled as Melanie let out a quiet laugh, she had to admit, other than an arrow to the back the boy did have an aptitude for luck. The thought of him walking the streets full of criminals that wanted him dead caused deep unrest within her, however she didn't feel she could convince the boy who may just be a tad more stubborn than her.

"Fine then... go and end up as a mangled mess on a street corner for all we care then..." Melanie spoke tiredly as Jaune chuckled, aware that it was her personal way of accepting him leaving and wishing him well, despite her saying the stark opposite.

"Until then, I feel like a lazy morning, you on board? Miltia's up for it." Jaune joked, pointing his thumb back at the sleeping twin as Melanie cracked a small smirk before nodding. Thus for the remainder of that Friday morning, team Fimbulwinter spent their time laying under the same sheets, Melanie savoring her time with her friend.

Both slept peacefully. Jaune left the next day.

* * *

**Present Day**

"Then I did some minor work for a while, then ran into Ozpin, got let into Beacon... et voila." Jaune finished simply, to his chagrin, the three of them didn't look remotely satisfied with his conclusion.

Ren was concerned about the identity of this flame using woman, Nora wanted more action scenes and Weiss was wondering the exact specifics of what Jaune did when he shared a bed with the two twins.

"Well, that's it, the history of Fimbulwinter. Now I don't know why but Miltia and Melanie want to see me again, though knowing them it's not a social call or invitation to the dance, it'll be something about either the woman I met or... something equally or more dangerous for me." Jaune finished with a hint of concern as Weiss snagged on one thing.

"A dance is coming up?" she asked out loud as Jaune looked up to her with a 'hm?', Weiss instantly denying she had said anything. She had heard about a dance somewhere before but was it going to be soon? She needed to talk with Ruby and Yang.

"Okay, I guess I'll be going then, I have to hurry if I'm going to catch the airship to the city." Jaune spoke, lifting himself up off of the bed and going to pick up his wallet before asking Ren if he would need any cooking material whilst he was in the city.

"Oh-uh-!" Weiss began but she stopped herself. In honesty she felt like going with Jaune but this matter was one between him and his old work associates.  
Whilst there was of course the nagging suspicion and desire to keep an eye on him, she was aware that she would simply have to bury those feelings and trust Jaune.

Faith is important in a special bond.

* * *

Faith is a fickle thing.

That was Weiss's thought process as she and Yang trailed Jaune as he walked to downtown Vale in order to meet with the Malachites at wherever the 'Blind Spot' implied. Yang had decided to tag along, also having a history with the Malachites that didn't leave the best of impressions upon the buxom blonde huntress.

It also meant she could be seen as a girl simply walking out into Vale with a friend rather than appearing like a lone stalker following Jaune on her own.  
"By the way, Yang, is it true that the dance is coming up soon?" Weiss asked her companion as they steadily pursued Jaune through the busy city streets.  
"Yeah, haven't you heard? I'm on the planning committee! Why, you got some ideas about the napkin arrangement or something?" Yang asked with a smirk.

Weiss blinked twice, utterly confused by the question until her senses kicked in.  
"O-Oh, _yes. _The napkins, and the centerpieces and the doilies! That was why, I want only the best for my academy's dance. You should've asked sooner!" Weiss chided with a faux laugh as Yang smiled, knowing fully well why Weiss had asked about the dance.

Turning round a corner, Weiss and Yang eyed Jaune suspiciously as he came up to a dead end. Yang raised an eyebrow as Jaune lent in, loudly whispering for someone to let him in. What in the world was the teen trying to do when there wasn't even a door there?!

Weiss remembered a part of Jaune's story but wasn't quick enough to tell Yang as a hand emerged from the brick wall, grabbed Jaune and pulled him through the wall before he disappeared from sight. Yang Xiao Long's jaw nearly hit the flaw as she turned to the heiress for an immediate explanation.

"Forgot about the part where the entrance is sealed... though if I recall there is an alternate entrance..." Weiss looked up towards the roof of the building, Yang resisting the urge to let out a despairing sigh as they headed to climb their way up the fire escape.

* * *

"Wow, this place hasn't changed a bit!" Jaune marveled as he was guided through the halls of the abandoned studio apartment, lead by the arm by Melanie to the familiar living room with the comfortable leather furniture.

"Junior's had a heavy work flow recently, including that little blonde friend of yours that decided to come and wreck the club!" Melanie spoke with an annoyed tone as Jaune ushered a meek apology on her behalf. It was almost surreal talking normally with Melanie again, it was almost as if no time had passed from when they had operated as 'Fimbulwinter'.

"So... how have you been?" Miltia asked him naturally, taking a seat on a leather sofa across from him beside her older sister as Jaune lent over in his armchair. Him and Miltia had left things relatively amiable, she had been saddened when he said he was leaving but he promised her that if they ever neede him, he'd come running- or skating, depending on circumstances.

"Better than I deserve, as always. Somehow I landed a spot at Beacon, got a team, fought some bad guys, played G ball once, finally went back to see my family. The whole deal." Jaune explained in layman's terms, forced to compress what could otherwise sustain a twenty seven chapter story into a few words to get what he really wanted to talk about.

"What about you? Has Junior done _anything _to you?" Jaune asked, anxious to find out how they fared going back to working for Junior after their time.  
"Well like you predicted, he was desperate to have us back, so we hold some of the power now. And that triple pay you mentioned? _Quadruple." _Melanie said with pride as Jaune grinned, rightfully so.

"On the matter at hand-" Miltia interjected, the tone fading seamlessly into serious business that unnerved Jaune slightly as the two twins looked between one another, Miltia deciding to take the initiative as she turned towards Jaune.

"We have been... hearing things, idle chatter and rumors flying around, some more valid than others. And they... concern you, Jaune. Someone is out for you, and they've been quite vocal about it." Miltia informed the teen, averting her gaze as her eyes grew angry at the unknown culprit threatening her old trio leader.

"Me? Is it, you know, that woman? With the veil and the arrows?" Jaune asked, not particularly surprised that someone was out looking for him for less than friendly purposes. He'd had this kind of thing before anyway. The thing that worried him most was the explanation Melanie was about to give.

"No... apparently you're just part of it. The creep's true target..." Melanie began, Jaune already predicting the next words out of her mouth but some part of him was foolishly hoping that he was somehow mistaken and that the one he held most dear wasn't in danger yet again. But of course, as cruel as reality was, Melanie continued "...is that Schnee heiress on your team.".

_"WHAT?!"_

...

...

Jaune and the Malachite twins both turned towards the nearby wall that the muffled yell had originated from. The voice Jaune would know anywhere causing his eyes to widen as the twins glared suspiciously in the direction of the wall connected to the bedroom across the hall.

_"You think they heard you?" _asked Yang as Weiss sat with her hands clasped firmly over her mouth, shock at her own outburst freezing her still as the two huntresses sat listening in to the wall hidden from sight. 

* * *

**Hi, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please, if you have anything to say or questions to ask, leave a review as I make sure to always read every one :) Have a good one!**


	28. Dry Ice Fog

**Hello, hope you enjoy your read and the next part of this 'hunter' arc!  
**

* * *

The first thing Jaune had heard was Melanie shrieking at them to take cover, the next was his hand rising in front of him on reflex and forming an ice shield towards the sky in an umbrella shape. As it grew larger he got Yang behind it and then Miltia.

He saw the needles raining down by his feet and sticking in the walls, some sort of purple tip emanating a secretion he instantly recognized as something he wanted to steer clear of. Melanie had opted to flatten herself up against a wall, just out of the range of the assailant hurling the needles down at them.

They hadn't seen it coming. Just as they were coming up to the Caesar U turn they had been ambushed by a storm of needles from somebody or some people lining the rooftops. The path had been quiet up until that moment, Jaune had let his concern at finding the hunter cloud his instincts.

His very first reaction was to form that umbrella protection, as soon as the reality of his friends being pierced by those danger sunk in he instantly sprung into action. Between the adrenaline of promptly summoning his power and identifying the needles stabbing the ground beside him as they past with a high whistle, his mind neglected a thing or two.

The true horror of the situation made its presence fully clear when he heard the shill scream and turned to see her fall to the ground in pain, clutching at her arm. Weiss Schnee began to breathe heavily as the needle implanted in her right arm spread its purple substance into the surface of her skin.

Jaune stood absolutely still, paralyzed by the sight as Melanie rushed over to Weiss, laying her hand upon her and focusing as their forms became blurry. The needles that followed passed through the two harmlessly as Melanie focused on checking on Weiss.

Yang also noticed the needle stab Weiss but unlike Jaune who was taken over by shock, her face contorted in rage, her eyes growing a dangerous red as she stepped out of the protective cover of Jaune's ice umbrella and readied her gauntlets. With a battle cry she began to thrust her fists upward, firing off half a dozen shots toward the rooftops.

The following explosions created clouds of dust that blocked the rooftops from view as Jaune peered out from where he had shielded himself and Miltia, as the sky cleared the attackers from the rooftop were nowhere to be seen. As if they had never occupied the place at all.

"Gah! It hurts, what is it?!" Weiss hissed in pain as Jaune spun around to see a fallen Weiss closing one eye in pain as Melanie looked over her injured arm. Jaune's heart dropped when he saw the purple spot began to slowly but surely spread over her arm as Weiss broke out in a cold sweat.

Melanie looked up to a horrified Jaune and with a single stare she was able to convey the height of the situation, surmised in one word that fell like death.

"Poison." she spoke.

* * *

**One hour earlier**

"*_Ahem*" _Weiss cleared her throat, her attempt to break the tense atmosphere squandered by the intense glares of the Malachite twins sitting on the sofa opposite the one that currently sat Yang and herself.

"H-hello. Sorry to interrupt, my friend and I were simply admiring your lovely apartment!" Weiss complemented with a bright smile, Yang nodding along as the daggers from the twins only grew fiercer and Jaune resisted the urge to sigh to himself as he remained standing in between the two sofas.

"The apartment you broke into?" Melanie asked with a risen eyebrow, causing Weiss's smile to falter as she looked down in embarrassment. Melanie let out a despairing sigh, the surprise visit from the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company and some blonde bimbo from Beacon had been a less than welcome interruption.

"Melanie, Miltia. This is Weiss Schnee. Weiss, Melanie and Miltia Malachite." Jaune introduced the two, flinching at the distasteful looks exchanged between the twins and the heiress and the Xiao Long who was looking awfully out of place as she looked away with an awkward smile.

"We're aware, your description fits, spoiled royalty in a tiara." Melanie hissed, accompanied by Miltia's glare as Weiss's smile cracked as her agitation became visible. Jaune sighed into his hand as the girls had gotten off to perhaps the worst start possible as the first time Jaune had intruded the apartment they had pulled their weapons on him within a second.

"As does yours. Two criminals in ridiculous dresses. Are those newspaper articles?" Weiss asked with narrowed eyes as an air of anger rose from the twins and heiress who paid no heed to the poor blonde girl who had trying not to be noticed or Jaune who dreaded a fight breaking out then and there between his former team mates and current partner.

"Save it. Melanie, Miltia, what did you mean when you said someone's out for Weiss. What do you know?" Jaune asked, hoping to return the conversation to the serious atmosphere it had sustained before they had been interrupted. The words had unnerved him and if someone was out for the both of them he'd prefer to deal with it as soon as possible.

"...Melanie and I were at the club that the girl next to Weiss wrecked. Junior made an announcement that if they had any idea on the whereabouts of you or Weiss they were to come to him. Soon after that we heard it on the streets, someone was approaching any reliable organization in the underground to help organize a kidnapping. No names were thrown about, we don't even know it's one guy or not. All that's left is the rumours..." Miltia informed them, not exactly clear on the details herself.

"So... in one possibility. A guy is out for Weiss, someone who knows of my connection to her. Well that narrows it down a little... one name in particular comes to mind." Jaune spoke aloud in thought, the twins looked surprised at him as Weiss grew an uneasy smile, knowing to whom he was referring in an instant.

"Have you ever heard of a faunus that used the codename 'Tiburon'? Real name-" Jaune begun but was soon cut off.

"Kasche?" Miltia interrupted, causing Jaune's eyes to widen in shock as he recoiled back in his chair. He had expected them to know of the codename sure, but the notion that they were on a first name basis with him was not something he could have predicted. Weiss seemed equally shocked at the drop of the shark toothed assassin's name.

"...You know him?" Weiss asked cautiously, Yang now remembering the teal hooded guy who had helped Jaune beat Roman that one time at the docks as she began to wonder why her two friends had such panicked expressions on their faces at the mention of his name.

"Well, in a way. We don't tend to associate with White Fang members we come across, but after he went rogue from the organization he came to Junior looking for a place to stay. He even ended up asking us, which we refused of course. He began working at the club as security and has kept a pretty low profile since then. Why? Do you know him?" Melanie inquired, seeing the pale look on the Schnee heiress.

"Yeah, we've met. He's the reason I'm like this, and we met again after that, twice, though on the second time..." Jaune recalled the alliance the newly named 'Kasche' had proposed, having been rejected by Jaune. He now wondered if not accepting the treaty was the best idea after all.

"You think he's your guy? The guy looking for you?" Yang asked, looking directly at Jaune who slowly nodded. Who else could it have been? The list of criminals that knew both of him and Weiss was short indeed. He had to go with his gut.

* * *

"This way." Miltia directed as the group of five entered the nightclub familiar to all but Jaune and Weiss. Making their way down the night black stairs they were met by the abrasive, red-tinted glares from the suited henchman who noticed the pseudo royalty and blonde huntress who had previously caused about a thousand lien in damage.

One thing that Jaune could be contented with was how Miltia and Melanie walked through the club so naturally, blending in to the grandiose den of thieves without looking out of place. His fears that they would not be accepted back into Junior's ranks lessened as they made their way over to the bar as if they owned the entire establishment themselves.

His observations were cut short, however, as they approached their suspect. Slumped upon a bar-stool with a teal cloak falling to the floor as he propped himself up upon his arms on the bar, his face hidden away from them. A familiar chill ran through Jaune as he approached, Weiss feeling similarly as they came up to the figure.

"Kasche? Jaune Arc is here and he wants to talk to you." Miltia spoke, leaning toward the hooded figure that seemed to stir upon hearing his name called. The figure's head lifting from its arms, it drew in a breath through its nose and released it slowly, creating an unease that crept upon the group in unison before it opened its mouth.

"Not just him, Weiss and Yang, too. I also know why he's here." the familiar tone droned out, a thoughtful essence to his voice as the trio he named exchanged looks, baffled at how he could have possibly known they were here too, Weiss maybe more predictable to be with Jaune but Yang was a different story altogether.

With a sigh, he swiveled his stool round to face the five, his face's obscurity unaided by his licorice black hair or deep empty eyes that found themselves boring into Jaune as Kasche raised his head to flash a less than friendly smile. Jaune's instant reflex was to reach for his sword, not going unnoticed by Kasche who kept a steady eye on him.

"I also know you'll be disappointed. I'm not the one out for you or your princess, in fact, the last time we met I believe I was the one offering an alliance and you were the one turning it down, or am I remembering that wrong?" Kasche asked with a questioning expression but a clear snide undertone as Jaune slowly took in what he was saying.

"Somebody is coming after us, knowing that we are close. If you are telling the truth and it isn't you, then who? Roman has an army at his fingers, he wouldn't be acting alone.. Adam, too, plus he's more interested in fighting Blake... the only other..." Jaune trailed off, remembering the red coated woman with the bow and arrow but shook it off. She didn't know he met Weiss.

"I wouldn't start suspecting former adversaries. If you want my oh so criminal opinion, this guy or gal is a fresh one. They were practically parading down alleys yelling for you two without any help. Adam and Roman have connections like you said. This one hunts himself. That doesn't mean he won't have friends to help him out, though." Kasche mused in a disinterested drawl.

Melanie and Miltia looked back to Jaune with troubled expressions, to them it seemed clear Kasche was a false lead and Jaune felt compelled to agree. Meaning their hunter was still out there, he trusted in the safety Beacon provides but leaving now would only give the hunter time to plan until Jaune and Weiss were in town next.

"We should keep looking, do you know anything that could help us? I'll pay you if you want, I just want to find this guy as soon as possible." Jaune asked Kasche, to the shock of the heiress beside him. She would never have expected Jaune to be so desperate as to offer to pay his would be assassin a fee for advice.

"I don't need your money, Junior's treating me fine around here. Plus, I wasn't lying when I said I think we can help each other. I know it's a way off but I would like to think that somehow, you can learn to trust me. Not gonna say any more than that, now on to the stuff that you actually want to hear..." Kasche began before hopping off the stool and standing before Jaune.

"There's a small gang operation down Caesar Avenue, past the U turn and down in a cellar, they are new and have been fairly quiet since they came about. I say there's a chance he's using them as a quiet little base as he doesn't live around here for sure." Kasche suggested, giving directions with his hand gesture as Jaune listened on.

"You wanna check it out?" Yang asked Jaune, the boy glad someone like her was there in case they ran into any trouble. Determined to follow any lead at this point, Jaune nodded to her. He didn't notice Weiss's hesitant look as Jaune, the Malachites and Yang began to head to the door with Kasche re taking his seat at the bar and returning to his drink, a proditio wine, he believed.

"Weiss?" Jaune asked the girl who looked up to him in surprise, her previous anxiety disappearing from view as she began to walk in tow with Jaune, still feeling deep down that something was not quite right with what they were doing, despite not being able to pinpoint exactly what.

* * *

**Present**

The door to the nightclub burst open with an audible crack as the figure of Jaune Arc burst in carrying a fallen heiress in his arms as he rushed over to a nearby sofa, the occupants of the club gaping at the teens with a mix of confusion and annoyance at the disturbance.

The twins and the rambunctious blonde swiftly followed, Melanie barking at the dawdling men nearby to be useful and call the emergency services as Yang rushed over to help Jaune lay Weiss safely down on to the sofa. All the while a teen in a teal cloak approached Weiss, a speed in his step.

"Call emergency services? And for a Schnee? Yeah, I'll get right on that." a mobster chided as the other suited men turned a blind eye, even those appearing sympathetic were simply choosing to ignore the girl on the sofa in order to protect their own interests. Risking calling authorities over a rich chick with the flu wasn't one they were taking anytime soon.

"They aren't going to help, Jaune. The nearest hospital is miles away and if we move her carelessly, that poison is going to spread." came a voice beside Jaune as Yang turned to see Kasche standing over them, peering down at the sickly heiress. It was true, the purple was seeping further down and she couldn't think of any way to help.

"The poison is spreading through her blood... in that case..." Jaune's eyes lit up as he rose his hands to Weiss's infected arm and laid them upon it, closing his eyes as he began to focus. A chill spread from his hands onto Weiss's skin as her breath hitched suddenly, her arm growing cooler and cooler.

"If I cool her arm from the outside her blood vessels will shrink down, I can slow the poison!" Jaune exclaimed frantically as he lowered the temperature he was emitting. Yang stood in awe at what the boy was doing but Kasche simply shook his head, laying a hand on Jaune's shoulder and gripping it tight.

"You cut off her blood flow and that will only cause more problems. It's not a permanent solution." Kasche stated as Jaune looked up to him with a distraught expression before turning back to Weiss with an enhanced desperation etched upon his features. He couldn't help her.

"Those needles worked by taking advantage of the concentrated piercing power to cut through the aura's defenses and inject the poison. The poison will spread throughout her entire body underneath the protection of the aura, as ironic as that is." Kasche spoke coolly, Jaune just the opposite as he began to panic, the pain on Weiss's face cutting through him like a saw.

"But- how?! How do we help her then?!" Jaune almost screamed as Weiss's grunts became more pronounced and she began to squirm. Miltia and Melanie were still yelling at the men in the club to help but it was fruitless. Yang stood powerless to help, her friend suffering excruciatingly before her and torturing Yang's heart.

"I can help her." Kasche announced matter-of-factly as Jaune turned to him in alarm, Yang and the twins doing the same as the faunus removed his hood, revealing his dark eyes that displayed genuine resolve to help Jaune out. Previous opinions on the assassin were disposed of as Jaune began to stumble over his own words.

"How!?" Jaune shouted frantically, Kasche hurriedly knelt down by Jaune in order to speak only to him. Looking him dead in the eyes, Kasche could see the inward Jaune screaming out in panic that his Weiss was in mortal danger. Kasche knew he would feel that way, it was only natural, whilst not confident in his understanding of humans, he knew how love worked.

"My teeth. I told you before, didn't I? They cut through aura. Like the needles I can cut through to her skin into her blood vessels. What I'm saying is if you allow it, I can suck out the poison. Easily." Kasche told him. Jaune stood temporarily dumbfounded, a former enemy had just offered to rescue his partner from the jaws of death.

Then it hit Jaune. The doubt. The indecision. The memory. This teen, the one he once known as 'Tiburon', now as 'Kasche'. He had held Weiss hostage when she was fifteen, he had tried to kill them when Jaune and Weiss had reunited, then he had helped them defeat Roman Torchwick. Was that third part enough to cover up the two before?

Weiss's life was in the balance. Could Jaune afford to roll the dice with this faunus? He claimed he was simply following the White Fang before and now had no ties left with them but Jaune himself had witnessed the remorseless killer within Kasche. Could he hold faith in such a creature?

Following that thought, Jaune was taken aback by his mind processing two things. One was Blake Belladonna, the white fang member that once tried to hurt him then left and became one of his most trusted friends. The friend that had also informed him of the discrimination facing the faunus, that some viewed them as less than people.

That lead to the second thing which was the faunus before him. He was showing no hostility, despite past conflict he was here now, offering his aid when Jaune needed it the most. Jaune couldn't consider him a creature, both humans and the faunus held emotions and possessed hearts and souls. He couldn't exclude Kasche.

"Do it. Fast." Jaune instructed with an undertone of a plead which Kasche instantly understood. Removing himself from her arm, Jaune got out of the way as Kasche wasted no time in lifting Weiss's arm and pulling down her sleeve as far as it would go. He then lifted her arm and meticulously inspected it, finding the exact spot his teeth had to infiltrate.

Finding it, he threw his head down and bit, hard. Weiss's breath caught in her throat and her eyes shot open with a silently screaming expression at the pain. Jaune took hold of Weiss's free hand and allowed her to wrap her vice tight grip around his hand to let out her stress upon him.

Blood began to trickle down her pale, dainty arm as Kasche begun to suck, the inhuman slurp disturbing to all including Yang who couldn't help but look away as Kasche sucked out the poison. Weiss began to choke out sounds of pain as Jaune repeatedly told her she was going to be okay and that the pain would be over soon.

"Jaune..." Weiss spoke weakly as Jaune looked up to her with wide eyes. Her eyes were growing half lidded, setting off major alarm bells in Jaune's mind as he begged Kasche to make it faster. Unable to respond verbally Kasche increased the rate of his sucking before he removed his blood stained teeth with a gasp.

"Agh-! I'm done, get bandages, stop her bleeding now!" Kasche demanded as soon as his mouth was free. Miltia instantly complied as she ran for where she knew Junior allocated the medical kits to bring one back to the heiress who lay breathing heavily upon the stained red sofa, blood flowing from her wound.

"Weiss! It's okay, the poison's out! You're going to be okay, I promise!" Jaune spoke directly to Weiss, holding her hand firmly and pressing his forehead against hers, relieved. Miltia quickly returned to apply the bandages, Weiss fading in and out of consciousness as she saw Yang, Jaune and the twins tend over her... and the teal cloaked teen cleaning the blood from his teeth.

The last thing Weiss saw was Kasche throwing the rag with her blood on it into the bin, discarding it, it having served its purpouse to him.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Winter Schnee sat with an expression difficult to decipher. The piece of paper in her hand held deathly tight as she re read it again and again, the words never changing but their meaning sinking in deeper and deeper. Almost as if they were taunting her, the scrawls flaunted their implication before her like a mockery.

She hadn't expected to be called down to the Vale Police Department, neither had she expected to ever hear of the damaged property case again. Penny, she believed, was the name of the mutilated mechanical girl she had discovered the last time she had visited the city. General Ironwood wouldn't disclose her specifics but she was aware it was meant to be a discrete manner.

Now apparently a piece of evidence from the crime scene had been revealed. Upon clearing away the girl to be repaired a note was found, on it a coded message. It had taken the department the better part of a few weeks to decipher it but finally they were able to construct a coherent interpretation. And it shook her.

_'DEATH TO THE HEIRESS'_

Heiress. It was a unique term, archaic in some cases. Reserved exclusively for those to inherit grand wealth, though to identify one simply with 'heiress' was inconceivable unless that particular one was famous or perhaps infamous. To Winter, the first and only to spring to mind was one that scared her beyond belief.

Her little sister was being targeted.

* * *

**Beacon Medical Bay**

"Is she stable?" came the concerned greeting of Lie Ren as she entered the room, accompanied by an anxious Nora who flinched at seeing her friend lay unconscious beneath the blankets of the bed, her arm connected to a blood pack. The weary form of their leader, Jaune Arc, sat beside her, remaining watchful over her ever since she was brought in.

"Yeah, she just needs some rest. Thanks for coming." Jaune returned with a smile, though his eyes told Ren his leader had been through quite the ordeal that day. The same could be said for Weiss if the heavy bandaging on her arm was to be believed. Nora meekly made her way over to the desk beside the medical bed and laid down some flowers in a vase that would even reach Weiss's standards.

"She'll love them, but you know she won't be here long, right? Soon enough she'll be back to bossing us around like normal." Jaune chuckled as Nora released a comforted smile, looking down at Weiss's resting face, free of the pain that occupied it just a few hours earlier. That experience almost felt like a bad dream now.

"I know, it means she loves us, though!" Nora chirped happily as she took a seat on a chair the other side of Weiss, Ren opting to stand as the three went on to casual conversation, a quiet but comfortable feeling shared throughout the room as team Lavender White enjoyed one another's company, interrupted by naught.

Inevitably, however, Ren decided to ask about just what had happened to Weiss in the city after she mysteriously left with Yang after Jaune said he was going to meet with the Malachites. Jaune seemed hesitant to go into the details but he knew they had a right to know as a member of their team. Jaune carefully explained, the meeting, the existence of a 'hunter', meeting with Kasche and finally the incident on Caesar Avenue.

"Someone's out for you two then..." Ren mused out loud, Jaune could only nod as Nora clenched her fists tightly, standing herself up affirmatively.  
"Whoever it is, I will crush them for the both of you. That's a Valkyrie promise!" Nora swore, with a confident grin that Jaune couldn't help but feel warmed by as he thanked her genuinely.

"We should tell Ozpin. Even if we believe we can easily find and defeat this adversary, it would be best to make him aware of the situation." Ren told Jaune, and he did see the logic in that. Going in alone and getting blindsided was a definite possibility and if they walked into something bigger than them then Ozpin was a powerful person to have help.

"I agree. As soon as Weiss wakes up we'll tell him what we know, then they'll pay." Jaune confirmed, Ren noticing the room temperature drop a little as Jaune slipped a little aggression into his tone. Ren smirked, knowing it was a mistake to hurt those close to his leader. Ren wasn't ready to let this slide easily, either.

"Jaune Arc?" came a soft voice from the door to the bay, sliding it open was a lady in white with a conscientious expression and a Beacon owned scroll in her hands, Jaune gave a little wave to indicate his presence and the nurse beckoned him to come outside with her for a moment.

"Don't worry, we'll watch her." Nora assured him with a gentle hold of his arm, Jaune smiled gratefully down at his teammate and friend before following the nurse out of the room, sparing Weiss a fleeting glance, knowing she'd be safe with Nora there.

"I have a call for you. It's about Miss Schnee." the nurse told him simply before handing him the scroll, Jaune took it with an ounce of confusion and a little trepidation before a crisp, cool but authoritative voice rang out from the electronic tablet.

_"Jaune Arc, I presume?" _it spoke to him, the business like demeanor and curt delivery intimidating Jaune slightly but he confirmed yes and listened on as the voice proceeded to continue. _"I am calling you to order that you aid my sister in packing her things in preparation for tomorrow." _it finished brusquely.

Jaune raised an eyebrow, tomorrow was meant to be reserved for Weiss resting in bed, not going on some trip he hadn't heard about. It couldn't be something connected to school, surely? He would have known about it and he was pretty sure Weiss hadn't been attending extra curriculars in her spare time between their already hectic lesson plans and day to day deathly situations.

"Why? What is happening tomorrow, and who is this?" Jaune responded, cautious to not come off rude but damned if he wasn't going to be assertive when it came to the security of the people closest to him. There was an eerie pause in the call that unsettled Jaune before the unhindered voice came through once more.

_"...Weiss is to pack her things as she is returning home. A threat in Vale has made itself very clear to her and the Schnee family has decided that she be brought back until the assailant is incarcerated." _came the blunt reply that made Jaune's heart drop with a heavy thud. Without even consulting Ozpin, the decision had already been made.

_"And to answer your other question, my name is Winter Schnee, right hand to General Ironwood, Atlas specialist... and Weiss Schnee's elder sister." _and with that the call ended. Jaune left standing in the hall, gripping the scroll tightly as he took in the words he received during his first ever meeting with one of Weiss's relatives.

Something he himself, despite the situation, found amusing, was that the bold and refined tone of Winter Schnee brought a tinge of happiness to his features as when compared to that of the heiress lying dormant in the other room, were utterly uncanny.

* * *

**Vale**

"You could have killed them all." the buyer spoke, the so called 'hunter' of Vale that had paid the not so unfriendly some of a few pretty lien to hire the hitman's agency. Now following the paid service the 'hunter' had paid his workers an unexpected visit, and apparently he was unhappy.

"If your orders were to kill them all, that'd be the truth. We knew what we were doing, the poisoned girl that we delivered unsafe and definitely not sound should be proof of that." The assassin responded, not appreciating his or his agency's work being questioned by a man as young as the 'hunter' before him. They had done their job, story over.

"...It's done now. She's now at Beacon but she will be headed in a very specific direction very soon, and I plan to follow." the 'hunter' replied, the assassin raised an eyebrow, the 'hunter' always confused him with the way he spoke. It was always leaving you in the dark as he alluded to things that no on except himself was aware of.

"You know where she is? Your sense of smell _that _good?" the assassin chided with a half smile, happy to mock his employer who had so rudely decided to criticize the work of his agency. The employer in question didn't flinch at the half insult, instead keeping his eyeline firm towards Beacon, the home of his means to an end.

"Not smell. You see, I have a little semblance. Once I sink my teeth into someone they appear on my radar, a nifty little trick. I sense where they are at all times until I decide to bite something else. Right now my blinking marker is in Beacon, though pretty soon they'll be headed in another direction. Blinking red the whole time." the employer explained, not exactly easing the assassin's confusion but instead piquing his interest.

"You're gonna follow the girl? Why? Coulda just asked us to finish the job..." the assassin asked, the mysterious 'hunter' growing more and more strange each minute, he couldn't kill his curiosity at the teen's true motives.

"You ever hear of the Schnee mansion?" the 'hunter' asked the assassin, prompting a puzzled expression across his face as he did remember the mansion. Except it wasn't really in the interest of the underground, dealing with Schnees was more the White Fang's deal.

"Whilst the Schnee Dust Company extends to many factories and business towers across Remnant, the mansion is the heart of it. Where Mr Schnee himself chooses to situate himself when off of work. Where he raised his two beautiful daughters in the comfort of secrecy. It's off the books, see? No public directory in the world could even tell you what side of the hemisphere the mansion's on." the 'hunter' explained with a slight amusement in his tone.

"Off the radar. The last time the Fang launched an attack we hit the heiress in an aircraft when she was fifteen, a certain icy lover boy thwarted that little endeavor. After that the heiress may as well have been taking underground tunnels home, there were no leads to her transport and Schnee system security only increased. Figures." he clicked his tongue as the assassin listened in, not questioning why he was suddenly privy to this information.

"Now there _is _a trace. Of course the Fang won't listen, they are too busy with slobbering over the feet of their new human overlords, that bowler hat scum and the three evil stooges in grey, green and red. I won't abandon them, though, would ail my heart too much. So all I'll have to do is gather a few friends loyal to the _real _White Fang and bring them the head of both Mr Schnee and his beloved daughters and make them hear me. Simple." the 'hunter' finished, clapping his hands together with a bright smile.

"And to think, this is all thanks to that chummy ginger robot! She was the beginning. All I had to do was scrap her, leave a message, then spend the next few weeks parading up and down Vale yelling about how I want Jaune Arc in order to get to Weiss Schnee! I created an anonymous enemy, someone that doesn't even exist but you see they didn't need to exist! The idea of this 'hunter' was enough for even loverboy to think his heiress needed to be safe at home!" the employer cheered as he bounced up and down on the spot.

"...wait... but if you attacked the Schnees before, how did you manage to bite the Weiss chick? That's what you said, wasn't it? You ambush the girl?" the assassin asked, too taken in by the plot to consider how close he was getting to his former employer who simply smiled before responding.

"Well, you have helped me take care of my major objective, kind sir. Now all I have to do is follow this through then get to work, I suppose! Of course this idea is for the fang but I take pride in my work, after all before the Fang's aims I have my own agenda, of course. I care for re establishing the glorious Fang but first and foremost I have a hunger within me. Wanna know what it is?" the employer inquired, ignoring the assassin's question.

The employer calmly awaited an answer as the assassin stood dazed by the heavy amount of information he had just been gifted with, not able to summon a verbal answer before the employer pulled out a scrap of paper, scrawling something down and displaying it to the assassin with a grin.

_'KILL ARC AND SCHNEE' _the note read, the assassin identifying it curiously, distracted just long enough for the employer to take a step closer. Without another moment's hesitation the employer clutched the assassin's neck, his razor nails immediately cutting into the assassin's flesh as the employer pulled down his hood, looking the assassin dead in the eyes.

"I don't work with humans." he spat as the assassin felt his throat crush and the hot blood spilling down his torso as his trachea was decimated, oxygen unable to reach his lungs as he struggled fruitlessly within the employer's grasp. With a single twitch the employer tightened his grip, the choking from the assassin made even more pronounced as his tortured throat erupted a whole range of animal like noises, slowly dying away.

As the assassin felt to the ground, his blood splattered over he concrete of the rooftop, onto the employer's cloak and also dripping down onto the scrap of paper, landing on six letters, staining them blood red as if the devil himself were highlighting them.

'**_K _**_ILL **A **RC AND **SC****H **N **E **E'_

...

* * *

**Hey hope you enjoyed this chapter and that the anti chronological order or plot wasn't confusing! Thank you for taking the time to read! If you have anything you'd like to say or suggest please REVIEW and I will read every single one and try to reply :)**

** Raenstorm Alaguiel- Very good idea! I hope you won't mind then if, when I get to it, I incorporate that very idea? Will credit you of course :)  
**  
**Cryocene- On the topic of villains, I hope you come to enjoy this little arc that will push Jaune further than ever before! Hope you enjoy!**

**Who me?- No, it is 'you and I' properly, although in dialogue grammar may be part of the character. Thank you for the review! :)**

**Sorry if I missed any questions, I appreciate EVERY review I promise! Thank you guys so much for the support!**


	29. Iceover

"I still don't see why this is necessary..." Weiss mused as she opened up the latches on the suitcase and began to pile in her essential gear, which to her featured everything and anything she deemed essential, which in her case required about half a dozen cases for evening wear alone.

"Apparently the 'hunter' guy made some moves in Vale and now he's too serious a threat. I still think you'd be safer here but I guess it's natural she'd want you back home." Jaune guessed as he got done packing Weiss's various homework assignments into a smaller case present with the Schnee logo embroiled upon it.

"So... she called you, then?" Weiss fixed him with a cautious gaze, Jaune simply nodding in response as her eyes dropped to the floor. In a soft voice she continued, "...what did you think of her? Winter? She can be a little protective." Weiss surmised with a wry smile as Jaune released a chuckle, that having been made very clear over the phone.

"Yeah, to be honest we didn't speak much. Reminded me of you though..." Jaune mentioned with a laugh as Weiss eyed him up and down dangerously.  
"In what way, exactly?" Weiss questioned him half seriously as Jaune let out a nervous grin, not realizing the off handed comparison could be such a landmine of a topic.

"You both get straight to the point." he chuckled as Weiss rose an eyebrow suspiciously before a small smirk spread across her features. When she did, however, she took a look around the Lavender White dorm room and at all the boxes Jaune had been helping her fill over the course of the last hour and she felt her heart drop a little.

"I'm really leaving..." Weiss spoke, Jaune instantly picking up the melancholy in her tone and he turned round to see her hanging her head down, crossing her arms over her chest. With a sad smile Jaune began to pace over before reaching out with both of his hands, Weiss looked up at him with a confused expression but he simply nodded, urging her to trust him.

Looking back down, Weiss removed her hands from her sides and joined them with Jaune's outstretched hand. Her eyes lit up as her sadness seemed to almost fade away as Jaune held her hands firmly, letting her know that he was with him. Raising her head, she met Jaune's comforting gaze and couldn't help but smile.

"It's only until I find and beat this guy, then you can come right back and we'll be waiting. Come on, when have I been beaten by anyone?" Jaune smirked.  
"Well, actually, first time we met I seem to recall me having to save you from Adam Taurus, plus there was that Grimm in the Ashen Woods and also-" Weiss began mockingly as Jaune let out a faux growl before pulling her in to a bear hug.

"Okay! Point made!" Jaune laughed as he spun Weiss in a circle, lifting her up off of the ground as Weiss, despite herself, laughed along the entire time.  
They both howled with laughter until the spins slowed and Jaune stood holding Weiss up to himself, his arms encircling round her tightly.  
"I swear, I'm getting you back soon." he promised without any hesitation.

Weiss stood there, allowing Jaune to hug her for as long as he wanted, she wanted to hold on to this moment, because as soon as she got on that airship she didn't know when she was going to come back. She knew Jaune would try his hardest to beat the 'hunter' but it would take time, time she'd spend missing him like some idiotic smitten school girl.

"Make sure you do." she responded with a happy whisper.

* * *

"You'll have to fill in with girl talk, you know?" Nora had told him suddenly as she and him were bringing cases down to where Weiss would be picked up.  
"Sorry, come again?" Jaune replied, perplexed at what his ginger team mate had approached him so nonchalantly as they set down the heiress's belongings down on to the concrete.

"Well, Weiss and I usually would. And Ren... well, there's a reason I can't talk about it with him so you're my new girl buddy!" Nora announced cheerfully, giving Jaune a light punch in the arm as he struggled to picture an image of Weiss Schnee engaging with the one and only Nora Valkyrie in any kind of 'girl talk'.

"You and Weiss have girl talk? Can I ask about what?" he questioned feeling he'd be lying if he weren't a little bit hopeful at what Nora would respond with.  
"Pshaw! Yeah, right! There's a confidentiality agreement, we sign with blood. No secrets leave the girl talk, got it?" she responded with a somewhat unsettling giggle as Jaune didn't second guess that the blood seal was legitimate.

"Sounds good to me, girl talk it is!" Jaune agreed as Nora went blank in the face, Jaune was about to question if she had frozen when she suddenly burst into a major excitement and jumped upon his arm, proceeding to fill him in on all the late night chocolate snacks, pillow wars, diary entries and Ren pranks that he was in for as her new partner in crime.

Jaune broke a wide grin, it was times like this he was grateful he met Nora. Whether it was her boundless energy or her openness to her friends, either way he just found her to be so damn lovable sometimes. Of course, there was also _that. _Nora was more mature than she let on, leading him to believe that Nora trying to make him feel better by doing all this wasn't too out of the question. She was a true friend to him.

"Excuse me! A moment if I may?" came a refined voice, Jaune and Nora turned in unison to see a middle aged man in a white labcoat beaming at the two of them, carrying with him a clipboard and pen which Jaune didn't fail to notice contained the Schnee insignia.

"My name is Doctor Maddison, I believe you know who I am, Mister Arc?" the Schnee doctor introduced himself, spurring naught but confusion from Nora as she turned to Jaune for an explanation. He himself hadn't recognized the man but Weiss had told him the full run down of the man Weiss had met all that time ago when she got picked up following their fight with Adam Taurus.

"You tried to help Weiss find me, right? You're also apparently responsible for the uh, comic books right?" Jaune asked, remembering clearly the little series of books Yang had endless fun teasing him about whenever she got the opportunity. Nora's eyes suddenly lit up when she connected the dots in her head and in moments she had a pen and paper.

"You wrote the 'Frosty Ordeals of Snow Boy' series!?" Nora exclaimed, thrusting forward the signature material that the doctor awkwardly but gratefully took and signed before handing them back. He seemed thoroughly embarrassed at being faced by the teen on whom he'd based an entire comic series on.

"Ah yes, Weiss did tell me the stories of how you met. Might I say, a true hero you are, my boy!" the doctor exclaimed in pride as Jaune smiled back in response, then the doctor's facial expression fell, "I only apologize that I was not able to reunite you two myself, it was the luck of both attending Beacon that ensured that..." he muttered, downtrodden.

"Don't worry about it, it's my fault for going all AWOL anyhow. We're actually very happy now, so it all ended up great!" Jaune assured the man, conscious of the great lengths the doctor had gone to in order to find him. It was actually down to Ozpin that he was able to meet her again but that was another story.

"Thank you, Mister Arc. Now I'm actually here to ensure Weiss makes it to her airship in an hour, is she not ready yet?" Doctor Maddison asked, seemingly eager to keep things on a strict schedule, Jaune supposed that it was natural. The airship was intended to get her out of harm's way as soon as possible.

"Nearly, we've brought down most of her luggage already. Weiss just needs a little more time, though, if I may ask, where does the airship stop off? In case she forgets anything and we have to mail it." Jaune asked, the subtle change on Doctor Maddison's face clearly visible as his previous cheerfulness turned to something more resembling... guilt?

"Home to a safehouse, I'm afraid I don't know the address." the doctor informed him but Jaune and Nora shared a look between each other that confirmed they both thought the man wasn't being entirely honest with them.

"Well, we'll go find her. Goodbye, doctor." Jaune waved farewell as Nora offered a smile and salute as they turned away, not waiting for the doctor's reply as they paced away towards the Beacon dorms, Jaune wondering just how secretive the Schnee family could get. He guessed it was to keep Weiss safe but he couldn't help but feel unsettled by it.

"Hey, this afternoon I hired _'Faunus of The Dead'_, wanna trap Ren into watching it with us tonight?" Nora asked with a mischievous snigger as Jaune was instantly soothed by her offer and he happily accepted, Nora really wasn't a girl that would let anyone around her remain upset if she could help it. He supposed he could have a few laughs to soothe his concern.

* * *

The sun lowering, an burning glow brightened the glamorous pavement that lead to Beacon, the lone airship at the precipice hovering above a few hundred feet of orange tinted forest. Standing underneath the vessel with sun touched faces were the foursome that stood three and one, a warm breeze matching the smiles exchanged between the team.

"Try not to destroy the room while I'm gone?" Weiss asked, looking over to Nora in particular who laughed a guilty chime. Her things packed inside, it was time for the heiress to say goodbye to the three of them, for the time being. Fears and worries of the 'hunter' and when they'll get the chance to see one another again vanished as they exchanged heartfelt goodbyes.

"I took the liberty to pack some nutritional beverages in your personal belongings. They will keep your strength and vitality high... a bitter initial taste but they'll do you a world of good. Fitting, I thought." Spoke Ren with a sly smirk as his words explained his sneaking into the aircraft earlier and depositing the beverages discretely.

"Lie Ren, would that be an attempt to subtly insult me in the way of comparing me to those half solid abominations you call 'beverages'? I'm rather impressed, though don't make a habit of it." Weiss jokingly warned him as he nodded to her, smiling. Without the best of greetings, the heiress had admittedly grown on the green garbed ninja over time.

"Sooo... should we cover our eyes for your goodbye? You want like, a private room or-?" Nora began, smiling coyly at Jaune who laughed sarcastically, using the Weiss patented flick to the forehead on the giggling ginger huntress who recoiled with a whimper.

"We already said our byes in the dormroom. And yes, it was heartfelt. Get over it. We'll be seeing her soon, anyway, right?" Jaune turned to Weiss who smirked beautifully under the sun's darkening rays as she nodded in confirmation. She had faith in him, that was one thing she needn't put effort into conveying through words.

"I'll message you when you get to... do you even know?" Jaune hazarded asking the question again, Nora and him had been lied to earlier about the safehouse's location and there was obviously some reason for it. Weiss shook her head, not betraying his expectations but not helping the uneasiness that had started to build up inside of him.

"I know where, it's home, but I can't tell you where. I can't tell anybody. I'm sorry, it's not even known to most of the Schnee Company. I'm not allowed to say, though that should tell you don't need to worry about anyone unsavoury finding me. You don't need to worry." Weiss apologized with a troubled expression, hating the fact that she had to keep things from her team.

"No messaging then, got it. I'm guessing tracing your signal came into the Schnee security head's defense measures if even I can think of doing it. Either way, I'll make sure you come back soon." Jaune promised her, once again. Weiss merely nodded at him, not thrilled with the idea of him running off to find this 'hunter' but knowing full well he'd do so regardless of what she said.

"When I get back, there's somewhere we should go together, you'll be the one asking though." Weiss spoke, prompting a raised eyebrow from the Arc as Weiss smiled up at him, the keen expectation in her eyes making Jaune rack his brain as to what she could possibly be talking about, knowing if he didn't find out he'd risk the full brunt of her fury.

"I'm definitely going to. Well, unless it slips my mind, that is, you not being here and all..." Jaune stated thoughtfully, causing Weiss's face to instantly shift to one of horror, looking straight at him as her open mouth began to tremble slightly. Her hands began to shake as she couldn't get out a word.

Jaune couldn't withstand his pity and cracked a smile before burying his face into his gloved hand, chuckling relentlessly. Weiss's previous look of vulnerability grew into an angry blush as she looked upon the boy who laughed in a way she had never heard him laugh before before he caught his breath, smirking up at Weiss.

"Sorry, sorry! I wanted to try the tsun a little bit, surprisingly fun to tease you for once but I think it's better when you do it." Jaune spoke between chuckles as Weiss was taken aback, the very idea of being on the receiving end of teasing coming completely unexpectedly. To her, it was the first time Jaune had made fun of her, but in a way, she felt happy that he was comfortable enough to do that sort of thing with her, still, first things were first...

"How dare you? Are you implying I am ever dere? How arrogant of you!" she scolded him, surprising him by knowing what he was talking about, Weiss fixing him with a harsh scowl, her hands on her hips. He laughed nervously before Weiss's arms began to shake and she broke out in full laughter, Jaune joining her seconds after as they laughed together over the sound of the engine roaring behind them.

Their laughter dying down, Weiss wiped a single tear from her left eye, never recalling a time she felt this comfortable talking and laughing with anyone. Jaune was joined side by side by Ren and Nora who offered amused smiles to Weiss who beamed at them both before Maddison rose an arm towards the airship. Weiss nodded at him before turning back to her team mates.

"I'll see you soon. All of you."

Then, she was off.

* * *

"-And I'm telling you, Junior wants those rogues for his next operation, apparently they could use the muscle, and the night vision." Melanie repeated, beginning to lose her patience with the nameless lackey before her that was currently taking up her time and patience. A nudge from Miltia got her to repress her annoyance as she awaited a reply.

"I'm sorry, Miss Malachite, like I said, they aren't with us anymore." the plain, suited man returned, growing fearful of the glare he was receiving from the elder twin in white as the younger twin in red did her best to keep things civil. In downtown Vale, this crooked "personnel director"'s office now stood occupied with the three outlaws. One more nervous than the other two.

"Aren't with you, or were leased off? Who did you send them to?" Melanie interrogated, always one to know when she wasn't being told the whole truth. The lackey's eyes swiftly darted to the back of the room, toward an all black filing cabinet that was secured with a large padlock. Shifting gaze back to Melanie he shook his head once more.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that. I uphold client privilege at all times, even a criminal has to be trusted by some people, you know?" the lackey told Melanie whose eyes were somewhere else entirely. The lackey hadn't noticed the younger sister move toward the back of the room until she returned to the elder sister's side, brown document in hand, open for her to read aloud.

"_Rogue units from White Fang enlisted by anonymous buyer, sum of 1,000 lien paid to supplier. NOTE: Low price is the admission fee, the units agreed to go without pay. _Now why would they do that?" Miltia spoke up, the lackey turning to the filing cabinet, seeing the padlock untouched, wondering how in the world she could have possibly grabbed that document.

"What is this? Why did these faunus go without a reward? Who is their buyer?" Melanie pressed the lackey, her anger at the henchmen being gone superseded by the curiosity of why they went in the first place. This seemed incredibly suspicious to her and she wasn't going to leave without a full explanation from the trembling man before her.

"I'm sorry! Once again, client privilege means I am accountable for the privacy of- EEK!" the man yelped as the younger sister threateningly drew her crimson red claws, aiming a dangerous look at the man. She, too, was growing impatient but was more subtle and concise with how she expressed herself around her clientele.

"Okay, okay! We don't know the name, all right? That much is true! All I can say is he was the same guy who hired the snipers on the Schnee girl the other day, they haven't come back though, so we don't know much else!" the man spouted, both sisters eyes widening at the mention of the sniper attack that they themselves had been caught up in a few days previously.

"...The 'hunter', then? So, he's the one who's stolen our paycheck, then?" Melanie mused, Miltia looking elsewhere, instead considering taking down the assailant who was after their old partner and his new girl he kept around. From the subtly clenched fist of her older sister, Miltia concluded that Melanie, too, wasn't thinking about the money.

"Well, I-I can't offer you any more than that! I don't even know where or who he is!" the lackey exclaimed, sitting as far back as he could in his chair. The elder sister merely smirked at that, taking out of her scroll and pulling up her contacts before turning away from the man at the desk, heading for the exit as the younger sister offered a goodbye.

"Don't worry, we have our own ways of finding people." she told him with a smile before she, too, left with her sister; leaving behind a simple lackey who breathed an elongated sigh of relief to himself, knowing he should have been content with pushing around crates at Junior's.

* * *

"That was... surprisingly clever. With a crude, simplistic zombie apocalypse base, the movie actually plays with and parodies the typical conventions of such films with both respect to the innovators of the genre and self awareness of their own style. The creative formula as well as well thought out foreshadowing that you truly will only appreciate on a second viewing and the writer's choice not to explicitly explain the apocalypse, simply brushing it off to focus on the main characters' plot was a bold move.

That repetition of the walk to the newsagent, once as an average suburbia, once as an apocalyptic world, was a truly artful scene, displaying how we might walk through life so unaware of ourselves that we may not notice that everything has ended. Hm, a good choice, Nora, Jaune." Ren finished.

Nora and Jaune blinked, sorely disappointed. Expecting mindless gore that Ren would grow distasteful of within five minutes, yet, as Ren did commonly, he found a way to put a pretentious, elaborate spin on the whole thing and ruin both Jaune and Nora's fun simultaneously.

"Did... did you ask for 'Faunus of The Dead' or 'Faunus of The Dread', Nora? One's the real one, one's a semi parody." Jaune asked the broken spirited girl beside him. She simply shook her head, completely unsure herself.

With Weiss gone, the three remaining members of Lavender White had returned to their team dorm room, deciding to watch the film Nora hired to kill time, hopefully annoy Ren, as well as take Jaune's mind off of current events. Nora commonly found herself worrying about her leader, as far as she knew he was rarely ever in a bad mood.

Except for when Neptune would try to make a move on Weiss, he'd always played the part of your typical hero. Humble, kind and always cheerful. Though, from personal experience Nora knew that just because someone seemed one way on the outside, they could be hiding all sorts of terrors deep within them. The 'Frosty Ordeals' books she read skimmed over the details but from just being around him, she could tell he'd been through a lot.

He was rarely phased by anything anyone said, when you spoke to him he looked you directly in the eyes, even when fighting he thought of little else other than protecting those near him. That sort of courage didn't come from nowhere, but what came with it was something darker. He didn't care if he got hurt protecting others, he was awkward when being thanked and he rarely asked others for any kind of favour.

To Nora, it always seemed like he never thought much of himself... no, that wasn't it. It was more accurate to say he didn't think he was on the same level as them. Organically trained and regimented huntresses like Nora and Pyrrha were most likely respected by Jaune, however they also served as a reminder to a certain view of his. The view she _knew _he tormented himself over.

His powers... were artificial. He granted them to himself when he consumed that dust. Just like the individuals they learnt about in class, Jaune had gone against human nature and fused himself with the dust element that conjured and manipulated ice. He'd taken a shortcut and become what some may class as a monster. It wasn't unlikely that he was grateful to his friends for accepting him for who he is but in return he gave his everything to them.

He'd mentioned before, and Nora believed him, that he was happy he got the powers because he could protect what was important to him, a typical line of reasoning for a hero in a book. However... people were more complex than that, she'd seen it in Jaune, him standing awkwardly, almost like an outsider when the likes of Yang were telling tales of their strenuous training and newly learnt combat skills or when Pyrrha was goaded into describing her tournament experiences. A form of guilt, a non-belonging.

"Jaune," Nora addressed Jaune, Ren having got up to clean the popcorn bowl they'd been using, leaving the unusually composed Nora who had taken Jaune by the hand, holding it tightly as he looked up to her. "I'm really glad you're here. Ren is too, and Pyrrha and the others, and Sun and Neptune and everyone else. You belong here, with all of us. Please don't ever doubt that. We'd all fight for you." Nora expressed with unblinking, unfaltering eye contact.

Jaune had no clue what to say. Nora was speaking so seriously and her eyes fixed on his like she was speaking directly from her soul into his. He found himself lost in her bright turquoise eyes that brimmed with meaning and care to the point where Jaune's heart struggled to register it, all he knew was that her words had struck him still.

"Nora... thanks, but, I knew that already. I feel like I can put faith in all of you, you're some of the kindest and bravest people I've ever met. I hope you also know that if you were in trouble, I'd do everything I can to save you, not that you'd ever need it though!" Jaune responded with a small smile as Nora's expression faltered slightly. 'All of you', This was exactly her point. He was one of them!

"-Jaune. You have a visitor." Ren chimed in, interrupting Nora before she could even retort as Jaune looked up to see Ren standing in the doorway, a teen girl beside him. Standing with a modest wave at Jaune, Pyrrha Nikos cheerfully entered the room. Nora stood up from where she had sat with Jaune, knowing the time for this conversation was up.

She'd only noticed these things about him whilst Weiss was preparing to leave and she wouldn't be able to forget about it easily. For now, though, she had to smile and pretend like she wasn't worried for her friend who saw himself as a lesser person than those around him.

* * *

Jaune slid back smoothly, the red blade swinging in front of his vision as he pulled back. Coming back into a defensive stance, Jaune held his sword at his waist, watching as Pyrrha launched forward once more, unrelenting in her formidable offense as she closed in on him. Jaune similarly stepped forward, meeting her swing head on with his sword.

The two stood locked in a test of strength as neither blade budged, with a narrowing of his eyes, however, ice began to spread over his blade. Stretching all across to the tip, the ice similarly spread onto Pyrhha's xiphos blade. Before she had time to pull it away, the ice hardened, connecting his sword and her blade. With a mighty tug, Jaune wrenched his sword back, taking Pyrrha's blade with it before he willed the ice to melt, sending the red xiphos flying backwards.

Now armed with only her shield, Pyrrha reeled back her arm with her shield held firmly in her grip. Jaune prepared to block the throw, knowing that a throw of the shield was enough to slice through the thickest of trees if what he'd seen was true. In preparation, Jaune began to freeze over his free hand, forming a bulky layer of ice that he then went to hold in front of him as Pyrrha smirked.

Anticipating his response, Pyrrha suddenly rose her other hand, a black aura emanating from her glove as Jaune was still focused on the shield holding hand. Hearing a high whistle of air behind him, Jaune turned just in time to see the blade he had thrown away earlier now heading straight towards him with a black aura engulfing it. Raising his hand just in time, Jaune blocked the sword with his ice shield.

Taking his open back as an opportunity, Pyrrha stomped down on his calf, prompting a grunt from the boy as he toppled to the ground. Jaune didn't have time to get back up before the blade that Pyrrha had magnetically flown back to her hand now found itself across Jaune's throat. Looking up cautiously, Jaune was met with the triumphant smile of Pyrrha Nikos beaming down on him.

"Okay, okay. You win this one, flame girl. You get one, use it wisely." Jaune warned before Pyrrha allowed him to stand up on to his own two feet, brushing himself off as Pyrrha let out a small laugh, taking a victorious stance with hands on either hip as Jaune mentally prepared himself for what was to come next. "Truth."

"Oh? Very well then, tell me. What is your biggest fear?" Pyrrha asked, a simple enough question. To be honest she was just happy having a conversation like this with Jaune, though she had told him she wished for them to gain a better understanding of one another as they hadn't spoken for a while. Jaune, however, didn't see the question as simple.

First he thought of childhood fears, the dark, heights, talking to any member of the opposite sex besides Mom and his sisters. Then his mind inevitably took a turn for the worse and he thought of bad things happening to Weiss, Nora, Blake, the Malachites or anyone else. Then of course, it drifted to the thought he had been trying to suppress. Imagining himself at Shivverin forest, looking out at all the dead Grimm, wondering how different he had really become. Fearing himself.

"Sharks, can't deal with them at all. I can't step into the water without thinking I might hear deep violins playing!" Jaune joked off, Pyrrha seemingly not suspicious as she laughed along with him. Truly, this was an odd way to decide who went first in truth or dare, though he had also broken the rules by lying so he supposed it didn't matter anyway.

"Haha, I see! Well, that's rather unexpected! Now, how do we decide who goes next?" Pyrrha asked, tilting her head as Jaune rose an eyebrow. Surely the need to have a game beforehand ceased when one person asked, leading naturally to the one who'd been asked to take their turn asking. However, knowing Pyrrha she'd want to add a glory part to all this.

"Something tamer." Jaune assured, growing tired enough from the brief sparring session alone. Thus, Jaune and Pyrrha headed towards the small recreation center in Beacon where he challenged her to a fierce game of... Table Tennis.

* * *

_"How are you feeling?" _came the first thing over the transceiver, naturally, her sister did have a particular habit of being all business at first then breaking into the devoted elder sister role just as soon as Weiss was properly critically assessed, however in a time when Weiss was in danger and was feeling alone and possibly scared, Winter didn't compromise.

"I'm fine, Winter. We have been flying for about four hours now. I hope to arrive soon. And don't worry, even if I weren't a fully capable huntress, which I feel I should really point out, the security here is outstanding." Weiss spoke truthfully, whilst she wasn't crazy about being kept under watch, it was a soothing thing to know that you were accompanied by professionals whose job it is to look out for you.

_"Ah, good then. I trust that Jaune fellow doesn't intend on doing anything rash?" _her elder sister asked, surprising Weiss as Winter was never one to bring up Jaune first, only listening whenever Weiss would tell her about him occasionally. She told Winter the gist of what occurred between them, leaving out some details that would have Winter sizing him up as a potential spouse candidate and scrutinizing him relentlessly.

"He won't do something stupid like try to come after me, he trusts in me and I trust in the company to do their job. Besides, it's not as if he could find where we are going regardless." Weiss answered, truthfully so as she looked out the window to confirm they were still flying purposefully through the clouds to mask the flight at all times.

"_That isn't what I meant. From what you've told me and some digging I've been doing myself. It wouldn't be ludicrous to assume Jaune Arc will attempt to find the 'hunter' himself and bring them to justice. He didn't say anything to you suggesting that, correct?" _Winter prodded, receiving a momentary silence on Weiss's end.

...She had gotten it spot on.

"O-Of course not! He wouldn't do something like that, even he doesn't want me around _that _much. In fact, he's probably glad I'm out of his hair for once! Plus there are plenty of other beautiful girls there to keep him company-" Weiss half heartedly lied, stopping short as even though she was lying, the thought still stung a little. Absurd as that was.

_"Weiss." _came an abrupt call. Weiss recognized it as the all business tone, except with a certain edge to it that demanded Weiss's full attention as she said nothing in response, listening and waiting for Winter to continue. After a few moments, Winter elaborated.

"_There won't be a Beacon mission to find him. Meaning he'd be going against Beacon policy by leaving to pursue him. But... disregarding that... what do you think will happen? The 'hunter' is a vicious, murderous criminal. If Jaune faced off against someone like that... he'd have to fight with everything he has and more. And the 'hunter' wouldn't go down easily... then what?_

_If faced with a dangerous criminal that he can't defeat or won't allow himself to be captured then... Jaune could end up committing a terrible crime himself."  
_

* * *

"Boom. 1-7, finally, my turn to ask something." Jaune held a victory fist high, Pyrrha a conceding sigh as she nodded her head, satisfied already at all the juicy trivia she had learned about Jaune throughout this experience. The fact the only time he's lived off of one thing was her sponsored cereal was both complimenting and worrying for his lifelong health.

"What do _you _fear the most?" Jaune asked, knowing of little else he could ask that interested him. If the noble, brave warrior on the other end of the blue, white marked table had any crippling irrational fears he'd become privy to, it'd probably be quite something to know about. Pyrrha looked pensive a moment before answering honestly.

"Losing my connection with the people around me, I think." she stated, not being quite the comic material Jaune had been hoping for but he supposed he could have expected no different from the heart of the passionate Pyrrha Nikos. Still, though, he found it rather curious. How could she, the most well renowned huntress for all might, beauty and friendliness fear being abandoned?

"You see, some people end up sizing themselves up to me and feel they aren't worthy. Which... I abhor. I'm honestly no different from anyone else my age, I simply... have different experiences. I hate the barrier that can stop me getting to know others, it's one of the reasons I love my team and of course people like you, Jaune. You see me how I am, despite maybe you not knowing my real name until Weiss told you in the locker room~." Pyrrha finished with a laugh, contrasting the depth of what she had just told him.

In one regard, he felt privileged that she was comfortable enough with him to tell him these things. In another he felt compelled to mirror Nora's speech back to him about being loved by the friends here at Beacon. Another part of him, though, resonated with what she was saying. He hadn't worried about talking about his power when he first came to Beacon, then Weiss told him how the world didn't always accept change and that he should keep the origins of his abilities closed to a select few.

As soon as he entered that mindset, he was reminded of the days he'd look into a mirror and have to second guess who was staring lifelessly back at him during those two years alone. He remembered the reluctance to visit his family, the feeling of becoming a monster more and more every day he took another mission. It was like with Ozpin he'd forgotten that temporarily.

"I get what you mean. But, I don't think there's anything you could do that would make the people at Beacon turn their backs on you. You are special to all of us, I think. We're a bunch of teenagers learning how to kill soulless monsters, a kind face within the crowd is something we could all use once in a while." Jaune smiled up at her, meaning every word he said to her. She stood still for a moment, eyes faltering slightly before she broke out into a bright smile.

"Thank you, Jaune, now, shall we continue playing?" Pyrrha asked, raising her paddle and holding the ball in her free hand, ready to squeeze some more details about the enigma that was the snowy haired Jaune Arc before her. Jaune simply nodded, and the game continued.

* * *

"Keep flying steady, we've got a ways to go, yet." he instructed to the pilot who nodded back at him before he went back to the canopy of the cramped airship that the group of thirteen currently occupied. The best and brightest of those who lost their ranking within the Fang and were thrown to the streets when they didn't accept the human "overlords" that suddenly took control of all operations.

"Once this is over... we'll be the flag bearers, our brothers who lost their way and now blindly follow the humans who use us for their hidden agendas will see the error in their ways and follow the regiment that was responsible of the destruction of the heart of one of their largest persecutor's true home. A place so well secured and kept far from the eye of the public, until now.

Looking around at the small collection of similarly dressed footsoldiers, he remarked the old fashioned blue wolf symbol much better suited the uniform, the red, scratched modern designs representing what the White Fang had now become. A horde of faunus kept under the thumb of humans who cared less for the destiny of the faunus than the dust beneath their leather shoes. Even Adam was clouded by illusions of revenge and twisted love.

He wasn't like Adam, he drove forward not only for the rights of the faunus, but what he liked to call their rightful place, supremacy. He was better than any human from genetics alone. He was going to unite the Fang under a true leader and then do what he was always destined to do. Stand at the top of the world, upon the foundations of bloodied and beaten huntresses and huntsmen alike, the highest predator. The apex.

Sensing a sudden change in direction through his semblance, he signalled for the pilot to open the hatch leading into the main canopy. The mechanical gears begun to whir momentarily as he walked forward, the bright blue sky sending the scene before him fully white before it finally settled, revealing a beautiful sky scape, consisting of five other airships following behind the one he stood from.

Looking to either side, the two airships carrying the ground jeeps flew closest to his own, the others flying back slightly having seen the main airship's canopy open and their future leader walk out towards the open hatch. Signalling to them all, he rose a hand and directed it to his right. All at once, the airships began to veer to their left, as commanded.

He smiled before turning back into his own airship, the mechanical whirs sounding the closing of the hatch behind him as he returned to the pilot's side to help him adjust the GPS on the monitor. Only he truly knew where they were going, after all. Only he knew where she was going, when even she didn't know herself.

It would take some time yet, but they'd keep pursuing, just far enough to keep a hungry eye watchful and the prey blissfully unaware. As always.

* * *

It'd been an educational day for Jaune and Pyrrha, to say the least. With neither daring to choose 'dare' at any point during the spar, table tennis or any of the games they conjured up following that, they had learned many 'truths' they could never have predicted before.

Jaune now knew that Pyrrha had never had a crush on anyone when she was young, she ALWAYS wears her golden headpiece, she discovered her semblance when she accidentally knocked her father out with a flying saucepan when her father had snuck up on her when she was six and that her mother was the one who showed her how to do her coined green eyeshadow because her mother was worried Pyrrha was sad about losing a tournament when growing up and wanted her to feel beautiful. She'd done it like that ever since.

On the flipside of touching, emotional anecdotes, Pyrrha now had an extensive library of Jaune's embarrassing secrets and confessions including the diary he had kept up until age thirteen and the fact before meeting Weiss the closest things to a female friend were his mother and the girl that picked up his eraser once during a lesson and called him 'John'.

Before allowing Pyrrha any more potential blackmail to use against him later, Jaune returned back to the Lavender White dorm room. Expectedly greeted by the sight of Ren cooking up their dinner which at Nora's _'request' _had shifted from his original plans of a nutritious vegetarian lasagna to a sauce lathered spaghetti and meatball feast.

Following convincing a politely reluctant Pyrrha to join them as they ate, Jaune found himself happily chatting to the girl at the table as Nora and Ren cleaned up around them. Before too long, Pyrrha felt like she'd be mistreating her teammates if she remained missing for much longer and decided to head back to the Pyro Black team room.

"Thanks for today, Pyrrha, I had fun!" Jaune told her honestly as he held the door open, Pyrrha leaning against the door frame within as they exchanged goodbyes with one another, the day seemingly have progressed so quickly with Weiss's departure, Nora and his failed attempt to gross out Ren then a lengthy series of duels with Pyrrha in exchange for personal experience details. Not that it hadn't been fun.

"Likewise. Another time would be fun, yes? Although there is something I'd like to ask before that..." Pyrrha trailed off, confusing Jaune with the usually bold and confident character retreating in on herself and avoiding eye contact. "This... dance coming up, would it be acceptable to say one would have the option of going... with a close friend?" Pyrrha asked him surprising him as he had almost forgotten entirely about that whole affair.

"I would say so, yeah. If you wanna ask a friend, go on ahead, it doesn't have to mean anything romantic." Jaune said off the top of his head, honestly he didn't know how he felt about the whole scenario, having been distracted when Goodwitch had gone over the details during that assembly. However, Pyrrha smiled to herself.

"I see. Well, I'll keep that in mind, good night, Jaune!" Pyrrha bid farewell with her patented grin and wave before she headed back across the room, audibly met by worried small voices and one calm, explanatory voice that decided to hear her teammate out. Jaune headed back inside the dorm room and joined in cleaning up with Nora and Ren.

"So, Jaune. This 'hunter' man, what is your next move going to be?" spoke Ren, finally addressing what had been on the back of Jaune's mind since their eventful morning before the heiress left with her family. It wasn't as if Jaune doubted the law enforcement in Vale but he felt responsible for all this and he had to find a way to get Weiss back quickly, as per her request.

"Tomorrow's Sunday, so most stores will be closed in downtown Vale, I'll probably meet up with Miltia and Melanie to ask about this guy from the perspective of the streets. Then... I'll come back here, you aren't planning on letting me run this thing recklessly, right, Ren?" Jaune responded, the black haired teen letting out an affirmative sigh as a reply.

"Very well, then, please let me help you on this. To be honest I'm a little worried... Jaune, this 'hunter' almost got you and Weiss killed once, threatened Weiss into going into hiding and is somehow evading police capture. My question is, what will you do to stop him?" Ren asked back, a tension entering the room as Jaune pondered his answer very carefully.

"I can't imagine I'll do anything too bad, as long as I can immobilize them with ice and turn them in that'll be that." Jaune resolved, betting on the next enemy they were facing could be dealt with in a similar way to the kind of thing he used to as a founding member of Fimbulwinter.

"Right... well as long as you're sure. This is, well, is relatively new. It's an attempted murderer who has his eyes on a loved one, it's a little different from fighting the Grimm we face all day. I just want to make sure you don't do anything you regret.

Jaune didn't know what triggered the memory, maybe Ren's phrasing or something else altogether but his mind returned to a certain question he had been asked by Miltia back when he was working with her and her sister a while back.

* * *

_"Jaune, why don't you ever consider killing?" Miltia had asked him after a few months of working together as a team. It had troubled her ever since he had stood up to her and Melanie over sparing B. Mann to bring him to custody rather than kill him on the night they met._

_"Killing... is the end. It means no more life, no experiences, it means depriving people of their hopes and dreams, the life they have been building up until now taken away just because of a disagreement. They can never see, smell, hear, touch or love anything ever again or hate again. It's... unforgivable. There's always another option." Jaune responded, not quite sure of his answer himself._

_Miltia crooked her neck, "So... you would never feel like killing somebody? Even if it saved another person? Or even if they had done something to someone you love?" Miltia asked honestly, Jaune's eyes took on a darker shade as he turned towards Miltia and saw her gentle expression hiding the clockwork occurring behind it to understand what Jaune meant._

_"If someone I loved were ever harmed... or worse, by an enemy or even by what I saw as an ally, if they were truly hurt. ... I don't know what I'd do." Jaune answered honestly, and Miltia went silent. They remained there, together, serene in one another's presence until Melanie came back, dispelling the conversation to be never brought up again._

* * *

Jaune didn't know for sure why that memory out of all had suddenly come back to him when talking to Ren. His sudden change in demeanor had not gone unnoticed by Ren who sported a frown, worrying he may have pressed Jaune a little harder than he perhaps should have. Knowing an easy fix to this, however, Ren looked over to see her already in action.

Nora leaned over, placing an arm around Jaune's neck and holding him close before saying "We'll be there every step of the way, you're not alone." Nora promised him. This time around, Jaune gratefully returned the hug as Ren let slip a smile, glad to see Nora's warm presence prove that it could cheer up the devil himself if she were to meet him for tea one day.

"For the mean time, though, you're taking Weiss's position as my BFF so first thing in the morning we'll get the ingredients for the room and along the way I'll be getting that fill of 'girl talk' I told you about earlier, Arc!" Nora cheered as Jaune heartily laughed along in unison. Happy to take things off his mind when he spent time with the both of them.

Ren smiled, though deep down, he couldn't help but feel tentative about this 'hunter' who Jaune was planning to take down as soon as possibly as well as how in the world they'd find him... and what Jaune would do when he found the man gunning for the girl closest to him. Still, it was Jaune, what was the worst thing he could do?

* * *

The sun began to set over whatever region of Remnant they were currently flying over, the orange glow reflected by the thick clouds stretching out beneath the aircraft as a girl in a light blue combat skirt and hair tied in a regally asymmetric ponytail sat strapped into her chair, breathing softly throughout the craft as she began to mumble barely intelligible phrases in her slumber.

_"Get me back already~ mrhphhh... moron..."_

... 

* * *

**Hey, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was a little lethargic when writing some points so I'll need to overlook some errors later. Anyhow, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Appreciate reviews and follows/favourites, thank you for reading!**


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